28 Jul
2012
28 Jul
'12
4:14 p.m.
'Deci'
and 'Deka' are not commonly-used prefixes in England. One time
I do come across them is that tightneing torques are now often givein
in dekanewton.metres.
I've seen it here in the medical trade in terms of concentrations of=20
various substances in the blood, e.g. mg./dL or =B5g/dL. I don't know=20
why.
Does the use of a scale factor (milli- mega-, etc.) carry an implied=20
precision in common European usage? In other words, does 500 metres=20
impy a greater precision than 0.5 km.?
By rights it should do (500m is accrate to the metre, 0.5km is accrate to
the 100m). But in practice it deosn't unless you're dealing wit ha
scientist, who would probably say 5*10^2 (or 5e2) metres anyway.
-tony