RE: LF: Spelling of units

["Dick Rollema" <d.w.rollema@freeler.nl>]

To All from PA0SE

Many thanks to all who replied to my request.

The checklist that can be found at the URL given by John, G4CNN, is a
most useful one.  I would recommend to print it and stick it to the
wall in your check.
The rules given are exactly the same as the ones applied in our country
by the editor of VERON magazine Electron and also for the
RAE.

It appears that the joining together of figure and unit (5V instead of 5
V) as practised by RadCom is considered improper according to the
checklist. 

It also strikes me that the asterisk to indicate multiplication, as seen
so often nowadays, is not in the list.

A related matter is the kind of symbols used in circuit diagrams. In The
Netherlands these are also prescribed for official documents. And for
Electron those rules are also adhered to. We are certainly not
happy with them. I attach two examples, taken from an RAE. We find the
modern symbols  for (N)OR and (N)AND gates awful, as compared to the
old ones. 
A transistor symbol without a circle is not too bad in a simple circuit
as attached. But in a complicated circuit one usually tries to find the
active elements first and a circle around the transistor certainly helps
to make them stand out, but is no longer allowed officially.

73, Dick, PA0SE

John, G4CNN wrote:

Since most replies to your query were somewhat inaccurate, I thought I would set the record straight. See: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/checklist.html

--- On Sun 02/24, Dick Rollema wrote:
> Dear OM,
>
> The following matter has nothing to do with LF but as former editor and
> corrector of VERON magazine Electron I nevertheless take the liberty to
> beg
> your opinion on it.
>
> In our country units that are derived from the names of scientists are
> written with a lower case letter; for instance volt, ampère, watt, etc.;
> not Volt, Ampère, Watt. When abbreviated we use a capital letter, so V, A,
>
> W etc. We also write "5 ohm, not 5 Ohms" (no plural). And we
> insert a
> space between the number and the unit: "3 V and not 3V".
>
> I wonder what the rules are in other countries, inside [including the
> UK :-)] and outside Europe because I see a lot of variations in spelling
>
> of units on the reflector.
>
> 73, Dick, PA0SE

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