Newsletter #1: Measurement – A topic we can discuss at length! Getting measurements right is essential in all technical writing, but we all have team-mates who may cling to errors, or don't even realize they're making them. It can help to have sound resources at hand during those discussions. Here are a few of our favourites. From ERIN GUTSCHE: How well do you know your tons and tonnes? Did you know that there are multiple ways to describe a ton? Let’s start with a comparison:
The Canadian government mandates the use of the International System of Units, but it still permits the use of certain imperial and customary units (see the Weights and Measures Act for more details). Mechanical fasteners (nuts and bolts), gas mileage, and land parcel sizes are a few examples of where you might find multiple units. This dual-unit system offers flexibility, but it can also lead to confusion. So, when it comes to working with tons, it’s always best to confirm how many pounds or kilograms are actually being referenced. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a ton of trouble. From CHRISTA BEDWIN: 8 Style Points for Metric Measurements. One thing I've felt passionate about since the beginning of my career is data, and presenting it correctly! So for this first newsletter, I've addressed how to use metric. Two useful websites are the international standards body, BIPM, in France, and the NIST, which is an American site that lays out the metric rules in good clear English for all technical writers. They also address issues that sometimes come up in Canada with switching from Imperial to Metric. I would suggest printing the NIST guide linked below if any questions about units of measurement arise for your team. Bureau International des Poids et Mesures www.bipm.org/en/si
Do you know why you would never write "a 100-m sprint," even though it seems like just last year you ran a 100-yard race? When is it not best to report in decametres? Briefly, here are 8 rules (sounding very strict and schoolmarmish!) covering the most common errors I have seen in consulting reports and scientific writing. They are further explained by BIPM and NIST in the links above, or in this blog post: https:// 1. Put a space between the number and any metric unit. 2. Never put hyphens before metric units. 3. The capitalization of the letters for the metric symbols matters (e.g. mega vs. milli). 4. Do not put a period after the symbol for a metric unit. 5. Do not add an “s” to make metric units plural. They are plural already. 6. For modern metric measurement, signal units of area with an exponent of 2 for square units, and units of volume with an exponent of 3 for cubed units (e.g. not sq. or cc) 7. Never put metric units in italic type. 8. Choose metric prefixes that will be easily known to your reader, while making the number as easy as possible. From LISA ORCHARD: What the heck is a hectare?  So, what's a hectare? Officially, it's a useful way to measure an area somewhere between a square metre and a square kilometre, or, for those of us who prefer imperial measurements sometimes, it's 2.47 acres - about the size of an area that a yoke of oxen can plow in a day, or in contemporary terms, about 148 buses parked together (see thecalculatorsite.com). Is there a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us here. |
Comments
Post a Comment