In the SI Brochure, NIST SP 330, NIST SP 814, and SI 10 the matter is
clear stated such that "2 meters squared" means 2 m^2, not 4 m^2. It's
just like saying "2 x squared" to mean 2x^2, not 4x^2. I.e., the
"squared" means the exponent 2 which is applied only to the unit
(including prefix, if any) and not to the numerical value.
Jim
On 2011-02-05 1843, Pierre Abbat wrote:
I understand "2 meters squared" or "a two-meter square" to mean a 2 m × 2 m
square, and "2 square meters" to be 2 m² regardless of shape. However, in
French or Spanish "2 metros cuadrados / mètres carrés" is 2 m², and "un carré
de 2 mètres / un cuadrado de 2 metros" is a 2 m × 2 m square. But English is
not the only language in which adjectives usually precede nouns, nor are
French and Spanish the only ones in which they follow. How would you say them
in German?
--
James R. Frysinger
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