This reminds me of arguments about the color of the dancing slippers
worn by those angels dancing on the head of a pin.
See section 9.6 of NIST SP 811. Note that the second part of that uses
the word "may" in describing the placement of "square" or "cubic" before
"meter".
See also section 5.1 of the SI brochure (8th ed.). The last paragraph of
that section makes a similar statement about French and English usage of
"squared" and "cubed" after units raised to powers 2 and 3. But it notes
that only in English may "square" or "cubic" be used before unit names.
Again, "may" is used in that instance.
IEEE/ASTM SI 10, an ANSI standard, has similar wording.
Jim
Bill Hooper wrote:
On 2008 Jan 28 , at 1:52 AM, Bill Potts wrote:
Meter squared implies an area in the shape of a square, with a side
1 m in length.
No it doesn't.
"Metre squared" implies to me exactly the same thing that "square metre"
implies; nothing more and nothing less.
We learn in grade school that a term like "square metre" refers to an
area EQUAL to the area of a 1 m by 1 m square, but that it does NOT mean
that the area is in then SHAPE of a square.
If I want to specify an area of square shape with sides 1 m long, I say:
"A square with sides of 1 m."
Bill Hooper
1810 mm tall
Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA
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