k vs K

Subject: k vs K
From: Wolf Lahti <wduby -at- PACCAR -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 11:05:31 -0800

David Dubin said

>Most of the rest of the world and the American military will tell you
>that K stands for Kilo..., which of course, stands for SINGLE THOUSANDS
>in the metric system.


Bzzzzt! Wrong!


>After all Brad, does a 5K run cover the distance of 5120 meters?


Yes, it would, since K has never meant 10^3 but rather 2^10. The upper- and
lowercase designations refer to two different standards of measurement. To
ignore this is tantamount to ignoring the distinction between m and M, which
are, of course, respectively 10^-3 and 10^6.



---------------------------------
"I hate quotations!"
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
---------------------------------


Previous by Author: Re: What *is* user-friendly...
Next by Author: Re: Certification - My Turn
Previous by Thread: K vs k
Next by Thread: Re: K vs k


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads