Forgive me for joining this conversation so late in its progress. I've been on 
vacation.

To reinforce what some others have said I would like to clearly state that the 
purpose of the prefixes for binary multiples is to provide, in a 
consensus-based standard, a set of non-SI prefixes that can and should be 
used where others have previously misused SI prefixes.

IEEE has a strong policy on the proper use of the SI in its standards (and 
publications) and we were therefore obligated to meet the need for prefixes 
for binary multiples, else to weaken our policy and allow the continued 
misuse of SI prefixes. Being in the position to do so, we have published IEEE 
Std 1541, which very closely mirrors an IEC standard of that nature.

SInce these prefixes for binary multiples "protect" the SI prefixes, it is in 
the USMA's best interest, I feel, to help promulgate them and to put them up 
to those who continue to misuse SI prefixes. Now you can say, "Here is a set 
of consensus-derived prefixes that you ought to be using instead of misusing 
the SI prefixes."

Therefore this matter is not "off-topic" here, in my opinion.

Jim

-- 
James R. Frysinger
Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
Senior Member, IEEE

http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
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