Metric System Prefixes

Power    Symbol    Prefix
1024 Y "Yotta"
1021 Z "Zetta"
1018 E "Exa"
1015 P "Peta"
1012 T "Tera"
109 G "Giga"*
106 M "Mega"
103 k "kilo"
102 h "Hecto"
101 da "Deka"
Power    Symbol    Prefix
10-1 d "deci"
10-2 c "centi"
10-3 m "milli"
10-6  µ "micro"§
10-9 n "nano"
10-12 p "pico"
10-15 f "femto"
10-18 a "atto"
10-21 z "zepto"
10-24 y "yocto"

Upper and lower case are different! 1 Mm is significantly different from 1 mm;

More information on metric units of measurement and conversions is available from the National Institue of Standards and Technology (NIST)


* Some pronounce it "Jiga" (soft "g"), while others prounounce it "Gig-uh" (with a hard "g"). Either is correct.
§ µ is the greek letter "mu". If you don't have this symbol available you can sort-of get by using the Roman "u" instead, but keep in mind that "mu" is the greek letter for "m".


Metric System Jokes

The following are not a part of the International System of Units (SI), but they may be amusing.     :-)

(Note: 10^12 means 10 raised to the 12th power, and so on)

     10^12 Microphones = 1 Megaphone
         10^6 bicycles = 2 megacycles
       500 millenaries = 1 seminary
     2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds
              10 cards = 1 decacards
          1/2 lavatory = 1 demijohn
            10^-6 fish = 1 microfiche
 453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
            10^12 pins = 1 terrapin
        10^21 piccolos = 1 gigolo
            10 rations = 1 decoration
           100 rations = 1 C-ration
         10 millipedes = 1 centipede
        3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
           10 monologs = 5 dialogues
           5 dialogues = 1 decalogue
           2 monograms = 1 diagram
             8 nickles = 2 paradigms
          2 snake eyes = 1 paradise
             2 wharves = 1 paradox

          1 milliHelen = the amount of beauty required to
                         launch a single ship



© Copyright 1995, 2012 by Eric Myers, all rights reserved.