Re: the Einstein unit (The Final Word on units)

[Larry Smith <Larry.Smith@snow.edu>]

At 8:48 AM -0500 4/30/97, brian whatcott wrote:
> At 08:20 AM 4/30/97, Eugene P. Mosca wrote:
> > All the Phys-L references to the Einstein spelled it the "Einstein".
> > However, the convention is that any unit named after a person
> > begins with a lower case letter.
> > Shouldn't it be the einstein?
> > ...
> > Eugene (Gene) P. Mosca
>
> Domestic practise differs from world convention in this area.
> And it's rather variable.
> Like our spelling.
>
> brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>

This is from _Physics Today_ annual buyers guide "Guide for Metric
Practice: Internationally recognized conventions have been established for
standard usage of SI units."  Under the section entitled "Style
conventions" it says,

  "Symbols for unit names derived from proper names have the first
  letter capitalized--otherwise unit symbols are lower case--but the
  unit names themselves are not capitalized (for example; tesla, T;
  meter, m).  A unit symbol is a mathematical entity (not an
  abbreviation) and is usually denoted by the first letter of the unit
  name (for example, the symbol for gram is g, not gm; the symbol for
  second is s, not sec), with some exceptions (for example, mol, cd
  and Hz).  The unit symbol is not followed by a period, and plurals
  of unit symbols are not followed by an "s" (for example, 3 kg, not 3
  kg. or 3 kgs)."

Following paragraphs are also interesting, but I won't take time to type
them right now.

Larry

P.S. Does this put the issue to rest?