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Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to any unit symbol. The prefix kilo-, for example, may be added to gram to indicate multiplication by one thousand: one kilogram is equal to one thousand grams. The prefix milli-, likewise, may be added to metre to indicate division by one thousand; one millimetre is equal to one thousandth of a ...
Metric units are units based on the metre, gram or second and decimal (power of ten) multiples or sub-multiples of these. According to Schadow and McDonald, [1] metric units, in general, are those units "defined 'in the spirit' of the metric system, that emerged in late 18th century France and was rapidly adopted by scientists and engineers.
Prefix name N/A deca hecto kilo mega giga tera peta exa zetta yotta ronna quetta; Prefix symbol da h k M G T P E Z Y R Q Factor 10 0: 10 1: 10 2: 10 3: 10 6: 10 9: 10 12: 10 15: 10 18: 10 21: 10 24: 10 27: 10 30
The kilogram is the only standard unit to include an SI prefix (kilo-) as part of its name. The gram (10 −3 kg) is an SI derived unit of mass. However, the names of all SI mass units are based on gram , rather than on kilogram ; thus 10 3 kg is a megagram (10 6 g), not a * kilokilogram .
The prefixes of the metric system precede a basic unit of measure to indicate a decadic multiple and fraction of a unit. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is added to the beginning of the unit symbol. Some of the prefixes date back to the introduction of the metric system in the 1790s, but new prefixes have been added, and some have been ...
The prefixes are never combined, so for example a millionth of a metre is a micrometre, not a millimillimetre. Multiples of the kilogram are named as if the gram were the base unit, so a millionth of a kilogram is a milligram, not a microkilogram. [5]: 122 [11]: 14 The BIPM specifies 24 prefixes for the International System of Units (SI):
The prefix kilo, for example, implies a factor of 1000 (10 3), and the prefix milli implies a factor of 1/1000 (10 −3). Thus, a kilometre is a thousand metres, and a milligram is one thousandth of a gram. These relations can be written symbolically as: [4]
The template common metric prefixes creates an infobox that lists the most commonly used metric prefixes. The list is a subset of the list in the 8th edition of the official brochure of the BIPM (SI units and prefixes).