Kilo-: Difference between revisions
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* one [[hertz|kilohertz]] is 1000 [[hertz]] |
* one [[hertz|kilohertz]] is 1000 [[hertz]] |
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* one [[kilobit]] is 1000 [[bit]]s |
* one [[kilobit]] is 1000 [[bit]]s |
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* one [[kilobyte]] (''kB'') is 1000 [[byte]]s |
* one [[kilobyte]] (''kB'') is 1000 [[byte]]s |
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A second definition has been |
A second definition has been used incoherently in some contexts of [[computer science]] and information technology, which is, however, inconsistent with the SI. It uses kilo as meaning 2<sup>10</sup> = 1024, because of the [[Mathematical coincidence#Concerning base 2|mathematical coincidence]] that 2<sup>10</sup> is approximately 10<sup>3</sup>. The incoherence of that definition is that it suggests that kilobyte can sometimes mean 1024 bytes, whereas "kilo" in kilobit always implies a decimal multiple, exactly as in every other unit using the kilo prefix. The NIST comments on this confusion: "Faced with this reality, the IEEE Standards Board decided that IEEE standards will use the conventional, internationally adopted, definitions of the SI prefixes", instead of kilo for 1024.<ref>[http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html Definition of binary prefixes at NIST]</ref> |
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Example: |
Example: |
Revision as of 06:52, 2 April 2014
kilo is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting multiplication by one thousand. It has been used in the International System of Units where it has the unit symbol k, in lower case.
The prefix kilo is derived from the Greek word χίλιοι (chilioi), meaning "thousand". It was originally adopted by Antoine Lavoisier's research group in 1795, and introduced into the metric system in France with its establishment in 1799.
Examples:
- one kilogram is 1000 grams
- one kilometre is 1000 metres
- one kilojoule is 1000 joules
- one kilobaud is 1000 bauds
- one kilohertz is 1000 hertz
- one kilobit is 1000 bits
- one kilobyte (kB) is 1000 bytes
A second definition has been used incoherently in some contexts of computer science and information technology, which is, however, inconsistent with the SI. It uses kilo as meaning 210 = 1024, because of the mathematical coincidence that 210 is approximately 103. The incoherence of that definition is that it suggests that kilobyte can sometimes mean 1024 bytes, whereas "kilo" in kilobit always implies a decimal multiple, exactly as in every other unit using the kilo prefix. The NIST comments on this confusion: "Faced with this reality, the IEEE Standards Board decided that IEEE standards will use the conventional, internationally adopted, definitions of the SI prefixes", instead of kilo for 1024.[1]
Example:
- One "Kilobyte" (KB) is 1024 bytes in JEDEC-standard, whereas the definition has shifted to, in most contexts, mean 1000 bytes (kB) in accordance with SI.
Exponentiation
When units occur in exponentiation, such as in square and cubic forms, any multiplier prefix is considered part of the unit, and thus included in the exponentiation.
- 1 km2 means one square kilometre or the area of a square that measures 1000 m on each side or 106 m2 (as opposed to 1000 square meters, which is the area of a square that measures 31.6 m on each side).
- 1 km3 means one cubic kilometre or the volume of a cube that measures 1000 m on each side or 109 m3 (as opposed to 1000 cubic meters, which is the volume of a cube that measures 10 m on each side).
See also
References
Prefix | Base 10 | Decimal | Adoption [nb 1] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Symbol | |||
quetta | Q | 1030 | 1000000000000000000000000000000 | 2022[1] |
ronna | R | 1027 | 1000000000000000000000000000 | |
yotta | Y | 1024 | 1000000000000000000000000 | 1991 |
zetta | Z | 1021 | 1000000000000000000000 | |
exa | E | 1018 | 1000000000000000000 | 1975[2] |
peta | P | 1015 | 1000000000000000 | |
tera | T | 1012 | 1000000000000 | 1960 |
giga | G | 109 | 1000000000 | |
mega | M | 106 | 1000000 | 1873 |
kilo | k | 103 | 1000 | 1795 |
hecto | h | 102 | 100 | |
deca | da | 101 | 10 | |
— | — | 100 | 1 | — |
deci | d | 10−1 | 0.1 | 1795 |
centi | c | 10−2 | 0.01 | |
milli | m | 10−3 | 0.001 | |
micro | μ | 10−6 | 0.000001 | 1873 |
nano | n | 10−9 | 0.000000001 | 1960 |
pico | p | 10−12 | 0.000000000001 | |
femto | f | 10−15 | 0.000000000000001 | 1964 |
atto | a | 10−18 | 0.000000000000000001 | |
zepto | z | 10−21 | 0.000000000000000000001 | 1991 |
yocto | y | 10−24 | 0.000000000000000000000001 | |
ronto | r | 10−27 | 0.000000000000000000000000001 | 2022[1] |
quecto | q | 10−30 | 0.000000000000000000000000000001 | |
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- ^ a b "On the extension of the range of SI prefixes". 18 November 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Metric (SI) Prefixes". NIST.