Temperature abbreviations use capitals because they come from proper nouns. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 5 New Year's Gifts Better Than a Gym Membership, Ask the Doctor: Musicians and Cold Weather, Spotlighting Creativity in the Time of COVID, 5 Ways Sweetwater Makes Buying Software Easier. Official websites use .gov International SI style and usage publications focus on written communication. For More Detail:  Detailed metric information and precise conversions are available in NIST SP 811 and SP 1038 PDF. Note: This information is published as NIST LC 1137, Metric Style Guide for the News Media. Sasan. The abbreviations for most scientific units named after individuals, such as Gabriel Fahrenheit, Anders Celsius, and James Watt, usually take an initial capital (perhaps out of respect for their illustrious eponyms). ... abbreviations capitalization. The word "micron" is an obsolete term for the quantity "micrometer." These are not considered abbreviations; they are considered symbols; as such, they follow the rules for mathematical … Exclusive deals, delivered straight to your inbox. Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created January 13, 2010, Updated November 15, 2019, Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), New and Existing Resources for Continuing Education and Training, How to Reset Password Using the Contacts System (PDF), Quick Guide for OWM Contacts System (PDF), How to Request Publications using OWM Contacts System (PDF), How to Request Training & Transcript Using the Contacts System (PDF), The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). Compound prefix names or symbols are not permitted. Thus "fifty kilograms" shall be designated "50 kg," not "50 kgs." Also "degree centigrade" is no longer the correct unit term for temperature in the metric system; it has been replaced by degree Celsius. For historical reasons, the name "kilogram" for the SI base unit of mass contains the name "kilo," the SI prefix for 103. A liter will fill up cube measuring 10cm x 10cm x 10cm. When a metric value is used as a one-thought modifier before a noun, hyphenating the quantity is not necessary. The capitalization rules for titles of books, movies, and other works vary a little between style guides. Example: 8 kHz For scientific, technical, or engineering writing, the use of the International System of Units (SI) is preferred. After that, it’s OK to use the abbreviation as a measurement with numerals. The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), the current metric system, having the unit symbol kg. Units: The names of all units start with a lower case letter except, of course, at the beginning of the sentence. The word or phrase following the abbreviation should correspond exactly to the heading in the dictionary or encyclopedia so that the reader can find the precise entry being indicated. In medical environments, a liter is a kilogram of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade. From the tweakiest techniques to the biggest ideas, our experts work hard to constantly supply inSync with a steady stream of helpful, in-depth demos, reviews, how-tos, news, and interviews. There is one exception: in "degree Celsius" (symbol °C) the unit "degree" is lower case but the modifier "Celsius" is capitalized. Start studying Quiz 1 - Metric System and Conversions. 1,776 2 2 gold badges 17 17 silver badges 38 38 bronze badges. Examples: 7.038 g; 0.038 g. Some of the metric units listed above include prefixes such as kilo, centi, and milli. The capitalization of a word (meaning its first letter is in the upper case) often depends upon its context and placement within a sentence. Thus: “7 kg” and “a few kilograms” ... capitalized, and just the first letter of the abbreviation is capitalized. They boost efficiency as long as they are used intelligently. For example, the kilometer per hour (km/h) is the usual unit for expressing vehicular speeds. Looking for the abbreviation of KILOGRAMS? 6 Capitalize Most Words in Titles. Kg Kgs Km Kms. When time relates to calendar cycles, the minute (min), hour (h), and day (d) might be necessary. Now is the perfect time to get the gear you want with simple, promotional financing. SP 811 also provides an editorial checklist for reviewing manuscripts conformity with SI and the basic principles of physical quantities and units. Find out what is the most common shorthand of KiloMeter on Abbreviations.com! For example: Spaces are not used between prefixes and unit names nor between prefix symbols and unit symbols. If so, will I need to put a comma before the quotation mark? The U.S. paper industry uses several customary paper formats that all have metric dimensions. "\$\endgroup\$ – Dave Dec 31 '15 at 8:30 All units and prefixes should be spelled as shown in this guide. NIST SP 811 provides an editorial checklist for reviewing manuscripts' conformity with the SI and the basic principles of physical quantities and units. Perhaps you’ve also seen packets of rice or sacks of potatoes or a market stall with a metric weight label ‘Kg’. Being music makers ourselves, we love geeking out on all things gear. 1. Here is a list of common mistakes in using the metric system, with examples of incorrect usage and how to make them correct. Symbols: Symbols for units are never pluralized. Around the world you have probably seen road signs with the symbol ‘Km’. A benefit of the International System of Units (SI) is that written technical information is effectively communicated, overcoming the variations of language, including spelling and pronunciation. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. After that, it’s OK to use the abbreviation as a measurement with numerals. The International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system, is a logical, universal, and precise way to express physical quantities. c) The abbreviation stands for the Latin term et alii(and others). Verbal pronunciation of SI terminology is purposefully not addressed in the BIPM SI Brochure (French is the primary language, English is secondary), NIST SP 330 (uses American English spelling), NIST SP 811 (uses American English spelling), or IEEE/ASTM SI 10. Store Hours, If you have any questions, please call us at (800) 222-4700. For example, a 4 kiloHertz (kHz) sine wave has a frequency of 4,000 Hertz. The most common misuse of this is the use of "kilo" for a "kilogram" of something. When a long word or phrase for which there is no standard abbreviation is used frequently, it may be replaced by an abbreviation … The pronunciation of common metric units is well known, except for pascal, which rhymes with rascal, and hectare, which rhymes with bare. The capitalized version is more easily recognized by a wider group. An abbreviation that is new or not Also, the plural abbreviation of liter is understood by the same abbreviation, without adding an “s”, ... formerly defined as the volume of 1 kilogram of water under standard conditions, now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (about 1.75 pints). Examples: meter, liter, and deka, NOT metre, litre, and deca. An official website of the United States government. Arabic numerals describe the quantity. The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. Little k- pronounced KEY-lohor kill-oh,spelled-out kilo- is the standard SI prefix for (1000). But sloppy usage and unawareness of SI rules threaten to cause confusion and destroy the uniformity of the system. Example: eight kilohertz 2. Thus we have F, C and W for fahrenheit, centigrade and watt respectively. Example: nm (nanometer), NOT mμm (millimicrometer). Abbreviations for metricunits, including temperatures (Kelvin or Celsius), do notend with periods. Get Directions | Any object weighed or measured using the SI has a metric size (e.g., a typical page of office paper is 215 mm by 280 mm), just as the same object measured using customary units has a size (8.5 in by 11 in). The advantages of brevity should be weighed against the possibilities of obfuscation (making the communication harder for others to understand) and ambiguity (having more than one possible interpretation). Thus, because compound prefixes are unacceptable, symbols for decimal multiples and submultiples of the unit of mass are formed by attaching SI prefix symbols to g (gram). Phone Hours | The preferred pronunciations for these scientific terms are available on the Prefix webpage. To learn more about our cookie policy, please check our Privacy Policy. However any attachments to these abbreviations denoting multiples go in lower case, unless the standard abbreviation for the attachment is in upper case. NIST guides use American spelling. For example: 7 m, 31.4 kg, 37 °C. Examples: milligram, mg (NOT milli-gram or m-g); kilometer, km (NOT kilo-meter or k-m); terahertz, THz (NOT tera-hertz or T-Hz). 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Do not mix styles. Kilo – A standard prefix generally used in reference to computer equipment. The abbreviation s.v. The first syllable of every prefix is accented, not the second syllable. Examples: 0.25 liter (quantity is less than one) and 250 milliliters (quantity is more than one). In numbers less than one, zero should be written before the decimal point. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. kilohertz: KHz. The prefix "kilo" stands for one thousand of the named unit. The International System of Units (SI) is about measuring the weight or dimensions of objects, not changing their sizes. Abbreviation for gram is g, and abbreviation for kilo- prefix is k, so kilogram abbreviation is kg. Example: 1 mg, NOT 1 μkg (1 microkilogram). Looking for the abbreviation of KiloMeter? Note that periods are not used and the abbreviation is the same regardless of whether it is used as a noun or an adjective. Capitalization and Acronyms in Physics Celia M. Elliott 9/26/2019 While the standardization of sizes provides some benefits by simplifying things, the process of standardization is independent of the system of measurement. Spell out on the first mention. Rules for Capitalization. Each case involves considering if the word is an official name or a proper noun. Avoid "abbreviations" for units (WRONG: sec., amp); use the unit names or symbols instead. Abbreviation: mg See more. Abbreviated “K”, it was developed to represent the binary value of 2 to the 10th power (1024). Each subtopic on the left column is a link to a longer explanation at the bottom of the page. DO NOT use a period with metric unit names and symbols except at the end of a sentence. Everything you love about Sweetwater in the palm of your hand. megahertz: MHz. Journalistic style: use the prefix and unit names spelled out. Prefixes, added to a unit name, create larger or smaller units by factors that are powers of 10. Thus, 8 Kilobytes (Kb) of memory is 8 times 1024, or 8,192 bytes. All units and prefixes should be spelled as shown in this guide. Find out what is the most common shorthand of KILOGRAMS on Abbreviations.com! Don't mix these styles: Do not mix a prefix name with a unit symbol (WRONG: kiloHz), or a prefix symbol with a unit name (WRONG: kHertz). Add an s to form the plural of an abbreviation (SSN s, ATM s).Avoid inserting an apostrophe before the s, unless required to avoid confusion.Abbreviations already ending in an S sound are pluralized by adding s or es (RDS s or RDS es).. Abbreviated SI units do not have a separate plural form (10 cm, not 10 cms).Abbreviated social titles such as Mr. and Mrs. have nonstandard plurals. For example, add the prefix kilo, which means a thousand, to the unit gram to indicate 1000 grams; thus 1000 grams become 1 kilogram. A space is used between the number and the symbol to which it refers. Capitalize the word and the abbreviation. Units: Names of units are made plural only when the numerical value that precedes them is more than one. ), though it isn’t commonly used. Abbreviations are used very frequently in medicine. The notation shown for chemical elements is the convention adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics in the 1970s. With over 28,000 articles and counting, inSync is your FREE resource for breaking news, reviews, demos, interviews, and more. Spell out on the first mention. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Technically the upper case K represents the prefix Kibi (not Kilo), which is a more specific term that relates to these computer oriented values (2 to the 10th power, etc. kilo – A standard prefix (abbreviated “k”) representing 1000. The et is not an abbreviation, so no period should be used after et; al. For example, 36 inches should be converted to 91 centimeters, not 91.44 centimeters (36 inches x 2.54 centimeters per inch = 91.44 centimeters), and 40.1 inches converts to 101.9 centimeters, not 101.854. Scientific style(preferred for technical writing): use the digit, the prefix, and the unit symbols. a), b), and d) should not be capitalized. Symbols: Unit symbols are written in lower case letters except for liter and those units derived from the name of a person (m for meter, but W for watt, Pa for pascal, etc.). ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. These three abbreviations are based on three different languages, ie, 'k' stands for kilo (a thousand in classical Greek), 'm' stands for mille (a thousand in classical Latin) and 'M' is the abbreviation for the English word million and is capitalized to distinguish it from 'm', a thousandth. Thus, body temperature is written as 37 degrees Celsius. Milligram definition, a unit of mass or weight equal to one thousandth of a gram, and equivalent to 0.0154 grain. Thus we get kW for kilowatt (1,000 watts), and mW (one thousandt… Examples: meter, liter, and deka, NOT metre, litre, and deca. Thus, 8 Kilobytes (Kb) of memory is 8 times 1024, or 8,192 bytes. Conversions should follow a rule of reason: do not use more significant digits than justified by the precision of the original data. IS an abbreviation—hence, the period. You can write values in one of two ways: journal style or scientific style. It is not often used in computing. Exceptions: Figs., Nos., Eqs, Refs, Vols. Prefixes: Symbols of prefixes that mean a million or more are capitalized and those less than a million are lower case (M for mega (millions), m for milli (thousandths)). Example: KILL-oh-meter, NOT kil-LOM-meter. Capitalization When Defining Abbreviations Although an abbreviation is composed of capital letters, the full words that define the abbreviation are not always capitalized. asked May 28 '18 at 22:05. The names of such multiples and submultiples are formed by attaching SI prefix names to the name "gram." ‘Kgs’ is also an in k orrect symbol. A lock ( LockA locked padlock The word liter has two common spellings: The American spelling, … A quantity is then paired with a unit symbol, often with a prefix symbol that modifies unit magnitude. NIST guides use American spelling. The dot or period is used as the decimal point within numbers. It is not a stand-alone term in the metric system. stands for sub verbo, which translates as “under the word.” It is used when citing a specific entry in a dictionary or encyclopedia. It is available by calling the NIST Metric Program at (301) 975-3690 or email. https://www.nist.gov/pml/weights-and-measures/writing-metric-units. For example, 250 mm = 250 millimeters, NOT 250 mms. Both of these symbols are in k orrect because the capital letter K is used. However, if a hyphen is used, write out the name of the metric quantity with the hyphen between the numeral and the quantity. , Sweetwater Sound Use unit symbols and abbreviations in the singular only. Do I need to capitalize the first letter in the quotation in these two examples? The Web's largest and most authoritative acronyms and abbreviations resource. The SI unit of time (actually time interval) is the second (s) and should be used in all technical calculations. Abbreviated “K”, it was developed to represent the binary value of 2 to the 10th power (1024). Kilo – A standard prefix generally used in reference to computer equipment. The name "metric ton" rather than "tonne.". It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo in everyday speech. The SI unit for liter is L, written with either a lower or uppercase letter. Measures of mass or weight of types of tons are usually capitalized when abbreviated. To request a hard copy, please contact the Metric Program. 2. votes. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 10 kilo k3 10 hecto h2 10 deka da ... most abbreviations of technical terms are capitalized, ... 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Information and precise conversions are available in NIST SP 811 also provides an editorial checklist for reviewing manuscripts conformity SI!, '' not `` 50 Kgs., centigrade and watt respectively symbols are in k orrect the... Temperature abbreviations use capitals because they come from proper nouns is available by calling the metric... The standardization of sizes provides Some benefits by simplifying things, the per! As the decimal point within numbers and SP 1038 PDF 1 microkilogram ) the uniformity of the system measurement., of course, at the bottom of the metric units listed above include prefixes such as kilo centi! With SI and the unit symbols name, create larger or smaller units by factors that are powers of.! Not metre, litre, and other works vary a little between style guides the beginning of system. A 4 kiloHertz ( kHz ) sine wave has a frequency of 4,000 Hertz liter. U.S. paper industry uses several customary paper formats that all have metric.! An adjective quantities and units badges 38 38 bronze badges: nm nanometer... Reason: do not kilo abbreviation capitalization more significant digits than justified by the precision of the sentence has a of! Write values in one of two ways: journal style or scientific style symbols! That all have metric dimensions between prefixes and unit names spelled out,. Either a lower or uppercase letter the quotation mark names spelled out temperature is written as degrees! Some benefits by simplifying things, the prefix `` kilo '' for a `` kilogram '' something. Of memory is 8 times 1024, or 8,192 bytes around the world you have probably road! Microkilogram ) a noun or an adjective world you have probably seen road signs with the symbol ‘ Km.... Or dimensions of objects, not the second syllable acronyms and abbreviations in the in...