Are you quite certain that unit symbols should only be used after numbers? I
would appreciate it if you could point out where this is documented.
I think this is as much good written style as it is a "rule" of SI. Generally symbols and abbreviations are used only in specific situations, not as general replacements for words in ordinary sentences. Perhaps I can illustrate this best with a series of examples.
Just as you should write:
"I went to see the doctor today", NOT "I went to see the Dr. today"; and
"The value of the dollar has declined", NOT "The value of the $ has declined"; and
"There are palm trees at the Florida border", NOT "There are palm trees at the FL border"; and
"He continued down the street", NOT "He cont'd down the street",
(or worse yet "He cont'd dn the st."); ...
... so also, you should write:
"This is a kilogram scale", NOT "This is a kg scale"; and
"How many centimetres long is that?", NOT "How many cm long is that?"; and
"Volts are the units of electric potential", NOT "V are the units of electric potential"; and
"The satellite's altitude is hundreds of kilometres", NOT "The satellite's altitude is hundreds of km",
(or worse yet, "The satellite's alt. is 100's of km.").
The following are PROPER uses of the abbreviations and symbols used in the examples above:
"Good morning, Dr. Becker." (title as part of a name)
"That costs $25." (dollar sign used with numbers)
"He lives in Miami, FL". (state abbreviation used as part of an address)
" ... and the police said the driver was not at fault, but they had to (cont'd pg. 5)" (at end of a page)
and
"There were 10 kg of potatoes in that sack." (with numbers)
"That is 125 cm long." (with numbers)
"The potential between the poles of that motor is 12 V too high." (with numbers)
"The satellite's altitude is 250 km or perhaps more." (with numbers)
Regards, Bill Hooper Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA <><><><><><><><><><><><> Make it simple; Make it Metric <><><><><><><><><><><><>
