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Re: Units

Posted by w7aqk on Dec 08, 2008; 4:03pm
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/Poor-man-s-beverage-and-diversity-tp1623198p1629564.html

I think I agree with Don too, but I also learned something.  I had never
thought about the fact that "kc" needed to have a lower case "k".  I'm one
of those old guys who still has trouble speaking in "herz" vs. "cps" unless
I really stop to think about it.  I think I have plenty of company though!

The big "M" vs. small "m" is something I'm very aware of usually, but I'm
not sure what a big "K" indicates vs. a small "k".  I've always just
considered either to mean "kilo".

Interestingly, back when I went to work for the bank I retired from (I went
there from the public accounting field), I was somewhat dismayed to discover
that people were consistently abbreviating "thousands" by using a large "M".
If they wanted to say "millions", they were using the expression "MM".  Now
I know that the financial industry does use the abbreviation "K"  (or
"k")for "thousands", and you see it all the time in reference to bond
issues, etc.  So I put out a memo criticizing the use of "M" for
"thousands", and got a whole bunch of flak back about it.  I simply expanded
my explanation in a follow-up memo, pointing out the basis for using such
abbreviations--K=kilo, M=mega, and m=milli.  I said if anyone could provide
published authority for using "M" for "thousand", I would concede.  No one
responded, and many, but not all, dropped the practice.  I may have erred,
based on Don's memo, by using a large "K" for kilo however.  But it's too
late now--I'm retired!!!!   But I still have no idea how they ever got
started using "M" that way.  It sure didn't make any sense to me.

Dave W7AQK


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom" <[hidden email]>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Monday, December 08, 2008 7:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Units


On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:58:53 -0500, you wrote:

>Wait just a minute.  Those old units should be "kc" and "Mc" to be correct.
>The proper units multiplier designations and their abbreviations are:
>kilo = k = 1000
>Mega = M = 1,000,000
>milli = m = .001
>
>That is why the capitalization/non-capitalization of "M/m" is so important.
>
>73,
>Don W3FPR
[snip]

I agree 100% Don.  Thanks for pointing that out.

Tom, N5GE

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