On Wednesday 15 June 2011 13:51:28 Martin Vlietstra wrote: > I disagree with you regarding the hectare - I would actually like to see > the are being brought into general use as that would make: > > 1 are = 10^2 m^2 > 1 ha = 10^4 m^2 > 1 km^2 = 10^6 m^2 > > This would ensure that no unit need have four digits ahead of the decimal > point.
That wouldn't solve the problem. The problem is not that there are too many digits; it's that, if the unit of length is the centimeter, or the unit of area is the are or hectare, many calculations are going to require moving the decimal point. A gram per are is a centigram per square meter, and a gram per hectare, expressed as something per square meter, cannot be expressed with any of the current prefixes. The base unit of area is the square meter. 1000 m² is a decare. 10^6 m² is a square kilometer, and 10^12 m² is a square megameter, but 10^9 m² has no name, nor does 10^-3 m². Pierre -- I believe in Yellow when I'm in Sweden and in Black when I'm in Wales.