Bill Potts wrote in USMA 23957:
Terry Simpson wrote:
Was 'micron' the only approved name over that period or did it exist in
parallel to 'micrometre'?
Both were valid, as micro was a valid prefix for any SI unit. The micron's
symbol (�) had the distinction of being the only Greek letter used as the
symbol for both a prefix and a unit.
I think adding a prefix to micron would have been even more problematic than
with liter (with milliliter [mL] meaning the same as cubic centimeter
[cm3]). Imagine millimicrons (m�) competing with nanometers (nm) and
micromicrons (��) competing with picometers (pm).
Bill Potts, CMS
On again examining my 1057 Hanbook of Chemistry and Physics I found
micron (�), millimicron (m�), and millionth micron (��).
--
Joseph B. Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 Telephone 416-486-6071
