Metric prefix

A metric prefix is a syllable or symbol attached to a unit to indicate a decimal multiple or fraction, such as kilo- for 1,000 or milli- for 0.001.

International System of Units: The internationally standardized system of measurement built around seven base units and defined derived units. Metric prefixes are standardized within this system for use with its units.
SI prefix symbols: The letter or letter pair used to represent an SI prefix in a unit symbol. Capitalization distinguishes prefixes such as mega- and milli-.
Metric system: A decimal-based system of measurement originating in France during the late eighteenth century. Metric prefixes extend the system’s decimal scaling across very large and small quantities.
Binary prefix: A prefix denoting a power of two, used chiefly for digital information quantities. Binary prefixes such as kibi- distinguish powers of two from decimal kilo-.
Decimal system: A positional numeral system based on powers of ten. Each metric prefix denotes a power of ten.
Powers of ten: Numbers expressed as ten raised to an integer exponent. Every standard SI prefix corresponds to a power of ten.
French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789. The metric system emerged from efforts to standardize measurement during the Revolution.
IEC binary prefixes: The standardized prefixes kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, and others for powers of 1024. They provide unambiguous alternatives when computing uses powers of two.
SI base unit: One of seven units, such as the metre or second, from which SI units are defined. Prefixes attach directly to base-unit names and symbols.
Scientific notation: A way to write numbers as a coefficient multiplied by a power of ten. Converting a prefixed quantity to scientific notation exposes its scale.

Linked from 9 pages