# Units

This appendix lists the decimal multipliers and unit abbreviations to use in GNOME documentation.

## Multipliers

To avoid awkward strings of zeroes, large numbers are usually written in a shorthand power-of-ten format. A multiplier is added to the unit as a prefix to indicate the appropriate order of magnitude. You can use the following types of multipliers:

Decimal multipliers

  Indicate the order of magnitude of a number in the decimal system.

Binary multipliers

  Indicate the order of magnitude of a number in the binary system.

The following table lists decimal multipliers.

### Decimal Multipliers

Multiplier | Abbreviation | Order of Magnitude
--- | --- | ---
peta | P | 1015
tera | T | 1012
giga | G | 109
mega | M | 106
kilo | k | 103
deci | d | 10-1
centi | c | 10-2
milli | m | 10-3
micro | u | 10-6
nano | n | 10-9

The following table lists binary multipliers.

### Binary Multipliers

Multiplier | Abbreviation | Order of Magnitude
--- | --- | ---
Kilo | K | 210 = 1024
Mega | M | 220 = 1,048,576

## Unit Abbreviations

This section provides guidelines about the correct unit abbreviations to use in GNOME documentation.

- The form for abbreviations is the same for both singular and plural.

- Be aware of the distinction between uppercase and lowercase letters, especially for the prefixes.

- Avoid using units in titles and headings.

- Spell out the full name of the unit for clarity where necessary.

The recommended units in the following table are based on the Systeme International d'Unites (SI) system of units. The table is not an exhaustive list of all SI units. The table only includes those units that occur in the desktop, or in GNOME documentation. If you need to use units that are not defined in the table, send your suggestions to: Pat Costello docs@gnome.org

### Recommended Units for GNOME Documentation

Term | Unit | Example | Abbreviated Example
--- | --- | --- | ---
bit | b | 48 Kilobit | 48 Kb
byte | B | 10 Megabytes | 10 MB
decibel | dB | 100 decibels | 100 dB
degree Celsius | oC | Zero degrees Celsius | 0 oC
degree Fahrenheit | oF | 32 degrees Fahrenheit | 32 oF
hour | h | 24 hours | 24 h
inch | in | 12 inches | 12 in
meter | m | 1 kilometer = 1000 meters | 1 km = 1000 m
minute of time | min | 10 minutes | 10 min
second of time | s | 30 milliseconds | 30 ms