Deci-

Deci (symbol d) is a decimal unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one tenth. Proposed in 1793,[1] and adopted in 1795, the prefix comes from the Latin decimus, meaning "tenth". Since 1960, the prefix is part of the International System of Units (SI).[2][3]

A frequent use of the prefix is in the unit deciliter (dl), common in food recipes; many European homes have a deciliter measure for flour, water, etc. A common measure in engineering is the unit decibel for measuring ratios of power and root-power quantities, such as sound level and electrical amplification.

Example
  • The diameter of a compact disc is about 12 centimetres or 1.2 decimetres.[4]
PrefixBase 10 DecimalEnglish word Adoption[nb 1]Etymology
NameSymbolShort scaleLong scaleLanguageSource word
yottaY1024 1000000000000000000000000septillionquadrillion1991Latin eight[nb 2]
zettaZ1021 1000000000000000000000sextilliontrilliard1991Latinseven[nb 2]
exaE1018 1000000000000000000quintilliontrillion1975Greeksix
petaP1015 1000000000000000quadrillionbilliard1975Greekfive[nb 2]
teraT1012 1000000000000trillionbillion1960Greekfour,[nb 2] monster
gigaG109 1000000000billionmilliard1960Greekgiant
megaM106 1000000million1873Greekgreat
kilok103 1000thousand1795Greekthousand
hectoh102100 hundred1795Greekhundred
decada10110 ten1795Greekten
1001one
decid10−1 0.1tenth1795Latinten
centic10−2 0.01hundredth1795Latinhundred
millim10−3 0.001thousandth1795Latinthousand
microμ10−6 0.000001millionth1873Greeksmall
nanon10−9 0.000000001billionthmilliardth1960Greekdwarf
picop10−12 0.000000000001trillionthbillionth1960Spanishpeak, a little bit
femtof10−15 0.000000000000001quadrillionthbilliardth1964Danish fifteen, Fermi[nb 3]
attoa10−18 0.000000000000000001quintillionthtrillionth1964Danisheighteen
zeptoz10−21 0.000000000000000000001sextillionthtrilliardth1991Latinseven[nb 2]
yoctoy10−24 0.000000000000000000000001septillionthquadrillionth1991Latineight[nb 2]
  1. Prefixes adopted before 1960 already existed before SI. The introduction of the CGS system was in 1873.
  2. Part of the beginning of the prefix was modified from the word it was derived from, ex: "peta" (prefix) vs "penta" (source word).
  3. The fermi was introduced earlier with the symbol "fm", which prompted the reinterpretation of the "f" as a prefix to "m", with femto being derived from the Danish word femten due to its similarity.

References

  1. Commission temporaire de Poids & Mesures rêpublicaines, En exécution des Décrets de la Convention Nationale (1793). Instruction abrégée sur les mesures déduites de la grandeur de la Terre; uniformes pour toute la Rêpublique, et sur les Calculs relatifs à leur division décimale (in French) (Edition originale ed.). Paris, France: De l´imprimerie nationale exécutive du Louvre. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
  2. The International System of Units (Si): The Metric System. DIANE Publishing. 1992. p. 30. ISBN 9780941375740.
  3. "Resolution 12 of the 11th CGPM". BIPM. 1960. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  4. "Universcale: From the nanoworld to the universe — The worlds we measure using our infinite yardstick". Nikon. 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
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