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Metric prefix. A metric prefix is a unit prefix that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or submultiple of the unit. All metric prefixes used today are decadic. 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 ...
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):
Unit prefix. A unit prefix is a specifier or mnemonic that is prepended to units of measurement to indicate multiples or fractions of the units. Units of various sizes are commonly formed by the use of such prefixes. The prefixes of the metric system, such as kilo and milli, represent multiplication by positive or negative powers of ten.
Conversions between units in the metric system are defined by their prefixes (for example, 1 kilogram = 1000 grams, 1 milligram = 0.001 grams) and are thus not listed in this article. Exceptions are made if the unit is commonly known by another name (for example, 1 micron = 10 −6 metre).
The metric system is a decimal -based system of measurement. The current international standard for the metric system is the International System of Units (Système international d'unités or SI), in which all units can be expressed in terms of seven base units: the metre (m), kilogram (kg), second (s), ampere (A), kelvin (K), mole (mol), and ...
The kilogram (kg) is the unit of mass. The ampere (A) is the unit of electric current. The kelvin (K) is the unit of thermodynamic temperature. The mole (mol) is the unit of amount of substance. The candela (cd) is the unit of luminous intensity. The SI also defines 22 derived units and associated symbols:
t. e. A binary prefix is a unit prefix that indicates a multiple of a unit of measurement by an integer power of two. The most commonly used binary prefixes are kibi (symbol Ki, meaning 210 = 1024 ), mebi (Mi, 2 20 = 1 048 576 ), and gibi (Gi, 2 30 = 1 073 741 824 ). They are most often used in information technology as multipliers of bit and ...
The table at right is based on the kilogram (kg), the base unit of mass in the International System of Units . 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.