I think that I should point out that the litre is given the same status by the BIPM as the minute, hour, day and tonne - not strictly SI, but in everyday use around the globe with the same meaning in every country so they have "approved" that class of units and given them symbols that are consistent with SI symbols.
_____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bill Hooper Sent: 07 May 2007 20:28 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:38615] Re: A word about global warming On 2007 May 7 , at 12:02 PM, Stan Jakuba wrote: Let me explain. First of all, there is no L in SI at all. ... The litre is a nickname for the cubic decimetre as Bill is to William. It is not a unit, ... I can't agree, Stan. While it is certainly true that the litre is not an SI unit, it is most certainly recognized by BOPM as a unit, all-be-it a "non-SI unit". I refer you to pages 123 and 124 of the official BIPM guide to SI*. The chapter, in which the litre and other such units are discussed, is titled "Units (sic) outside the SI" and it includes the statement that "table 6 includes non-SI units ...". That table, which includes the litre (and the litre symbols "l" and "L"), is titled "Non-SI units accepted for ...". In that table, the litre is displayed in a column headed ""Name of unit" and the symbols "L" and "l" are listed in a column labeled "Symbol for unit". Clearly, in everything that the BIPM publication says about the litre, it refers to the litre as a unit. The fact that it is not an SI unit supports the contention that SI prefixes should not be used with it. Regards, Bill Hooper ================== * "The International System of Units (SI)" 8th Ed. 2006 published by BIPM (The International Bureau of Weights and Measures)
