On 2008/07/12, at 4:58 AM, Patrick Moore wrote:
Where does the "should" come from in the first place? The BIPM? The
AP Style
Guide? Chicago? Fowler? My high school typing instructor? Issues of
usage,
style, and typography are off-topic. That may be unintuitive for us
because
SI stimulates the same part of our brain as do rules of usage etc. -
just a
hunch.
Dear Patrick and All,
On whose authority do we make our decisions about style when using SI
units?
There are many reasons why dictionary entries or style book rules
cannot take precedence over the International System of Units (SI)
decisions, not least of which is that these rules are agreed by
international treaty.
The symbols and the rules for their use are those of the International
System of Units (SI) that were developed and approved at the Bureau
International de Poids et Mesures (BIPM) under the authority of the
Conférence Générale de Poids et Mesures (CGPM). In turn, the CGPM
operates under an international treaty called the 'Treaty of the
metre' that has 51 full member and 27 associate member nations as its
signatories (as at 2008-04-04).
Specifically, in the USA the history goes like this:
1 In 1787, the Constitution of the USA gave Congress the
authority to establish a system of weights and measures.
2 The USA became a signatory of the Treaty of the metre,
which they signed in 1875.
3 The Treaty of the metre authorises the Conférence Générale
de Poids et Mesures (CGPM) to decide the rules and conventions for the
International System of Units (SI).
4 The authority of the CGPM is administered through the
Bureau International de Poids et Mesures (BIPM) that has its offices
on international territory at Le Sévres just outside Paris.
5 The Congress of the USA passed the Omnibus Trade and
Competitiveness Act in 1988. This Act designated "the metric system of
measurement as the preferred system of weights and measures for United
States trade and commerce." This implies that the use of the SI rules
and conventions are the appropriate choice.
See A chronological history of the modern metric system at
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/MetricationTimeline.pdf
Don't let anyone try to contradict the facts of correct international
metric usage by citing local references such as a dictionary (say the
Oxford Dictionary in the UK or Websters in the USA) or a Style Book
(such as the Associated Press Style Book in the USA or the Australian
Government Style Manual for authors, editors and printers). No one has
the authority to decide or to make rules about the use of the
International System of Units (SI) other than the Conférence Générale
de Poids et Mesures (CGPM).
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter/
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