Surprised no one else has mentioned this: the original metric unit of mass was the "grave", equal to one kilogram. Its symbol was G. Unfortunately for all of us, it was eventually noticed that "grave" sounded like "Graf", an aristocratic German title. And we all know how the French in the 1790s felt about aristocrats...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_%28mass%29 --- Stan Jakuba <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I wish I had kept a record. There were several different suggestions in each > class - hundreds altogether, some serious. Among the latter, I recollect > that the "new gram", symbol G (for kg) was almost always brought up. I > considered it feasible but unrealistic for various reasons. Among those > reasons, however, it was not the potential confusion with giga (GG would be > fine) because there seems to be no confusion with tera and tesla (TT), for > example. > If I hear some exemplary ones, I'll post them. > Stan > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Sent: 08 Jan 28, Monday 15:01 > Subject: [USMA:40273] Re: kg > > > > So, Stan, what were the best of the lot? > > Ezra > > > > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > > From: "Stan Jakuba" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> In engineering classes, I always challenge students to come up with a > >> name > >> for the historical anomaly - the unit kilogram (to help them remember how > >> to > >> formulate derived units with kg). Over the years, there were some > >> rational > >> suggestions but I remember only the one provided by a female student of > >> the > >> name Vicky: kilogram = vicky, symbol V. She however, ruled out the use of > >> GV. The mV and �V were okay. > >> Stan J. > >> PS: In case you wonder - yes, she was NOT an electrical engineer! > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > >> Sent: 08 Jan 28, Monday 12:48 > >> Subject: [USMA:40266] Re: Tonnes > >> > >> > >> >I much prefer and recommend kkg rather than Mg because it is closer to > >> >coherent SI. Since kg is already an exception as a unit symbol, > >> >violation > >> >of the "no double prefix" rule is not a problem in this case. > >> > > >> > Gene. > >> > > >> > ---- Original message ---- > >> >>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:26:23 -0500 > >> >>From: "Stan Jakuba" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> >>Subject: [USMA:40261] Re: Tonnes > >> >>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > >> >>Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > >> >> > >> >>Yes, of course. Thank you Bill. Sorry for the typo. > >> >> > >> >>----- Original Message ----- > >> >>From: "Bill Hooper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> >>To: "Stan Jakuba" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> >>Sent: 08 Jan 27, Sunday 13:33 > >> >>Subject: Re: [USMA:40211] Re: Tonnes > >> >> > >> >> > >> >>> > >> >>> On 2008 Jan 26 , at 4:00 PM, Stan Jakuba wrote: > >> >>> > >> >>>> Anybody can and will be comfortable with MG if the other nicknames > >> >>>> disappear. > >> >>> > >> >>> Ooops! You meant "Mg", did you not? > >> >>> > >> >>>> Let's be consistent among us to start with, and expand our horizons > >> >>>> outside the English speaking word. SI is the ultimate goal and these > >> >>>> silly modifications, some with the blessing of BIPM, are only > >> >>>> complicating things and fuel anti-metric sentiments in the US. > >> >>> > >> >>> I whole heartedly agree. > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> Bill Hooper > >> >>> 73 kg body mass* > >> >>> Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA > >> >>> > >> >>> * plus or minus a kilogram or so. > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
