Yes, it is still pretty common.  I'm pragmatic and I don't worry about it 
much.  I'd much rather they measure in degrees Centigrade than in Fahrenheit.
 
I think the symbols are more important than the words.I am more concerned by 
improper uses that are likely to carry over into improper symbolization.  As 
examples, I would offer:
*The use of the micron for micrometer. This is likely to carry over into the 
use of a standalone prefix.
*Mostly gone now, but when pico- was first introduced, small value capacitances 
continued to be referred to as micromicrofarads, rather than picofarads for 
many years.
 
I consider those more worthy of correction, but rarely even bother to correct 
Centigrade.
--- On Mon, 12/14/09, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote:


From: Paul Trusten <[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:46279] Celsius
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, December 14, 2009, 10:51 AM



Celsius has been the official name for a commonly used SI-derived temperature 
scale for 60 years. Yet, there seems to be some kind of tacit agreement among 
people to continue to call it centigrade. I was actually pleasantly surprised 
to hear a Discovery Channel voice call it Celsius for once. People in my 
department call it centigrade no matter how frequently I gently remind them. Do 
you have this problem? Does this happen outside the U.S. ?

Paul Trusten

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