Richard Feynman wrote a letter to Scientific American many years ago
suggesting a neat convention. The suffix, 10 to the nth power is called "plo
n", and 10 to the minus nth power is called "mi n". These can also replace
prefixes: kilo is "plo 3", tera is "plo 12", nano is "mi 9", femto is "mi
15", etc. For that matter, number words can be replaced: million is "plo 6".
Suffixes and prefixes can be combined: 2.34 X ten to the minus 7 nanometers
= 2.34 mi 7 mi 9 meters = 2.34 mi 16 meters. If you're trying to do a
calculation in your head this convention can be useful.
Does anyone remember the prefixs for plo 21, plo 24, mi 21 and mi 24? Two
begin with 'y' and two begin with 'z' and one of them is called "yocto". I
could never get them to stick in my memory.
Don Klemencic
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