FreeLists / si-list / [SI-LIST] Re: Mil or Mils?

["Richard Feldman" <rfeldman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris,
I respectfully disagree, but don't want to burden the whole list.
On second thought, why not?

While mm is the standard SI symbol (not abbreviation) for millimeter,
mil is neither a symbol nor an abbreviation for milliinch.
(When's the last time you read or heard anyone say milliinch?)
Mil is the name of a unit of length, like foot or mile or a=20
crude machinists' synonym for mil.  As such, IMHO it is proper=20
to pluralize it by appending the letter s.  Like giving the nominal=20
length of an American football field as 100 yards, not 100 yard.

Rich

p.s. Although PWB fabrication drawings are unlikely to be good=20
references for grammar or symbology, at least they generally give=20
dimensions formally in inches or millimeters.  Where "MIL" appears,=20
it's usually in the citation of a military specification. :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Chris Padilla (cpad)
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 11:35 AM
To: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [SI-LIST] Mil or Mils?

Off-topic to the "matching within 1 mil" stuff, I think I see a lot of
misuse of the unit "mil" when it is written down.

As I understand it, the unit is abbreviated: mil

So when writing it down, it should be like: "..we match within 100 mil
but the CAD guys says 10 mil is just fine..."

When you read it, you will say it with an 's' on the end but if it is
used as a unit, it shouldn't be made plural.

After all, we don't write five millimeters as "5 mms".  We write "5 mm"
and say it in our heads or outloud as: "Five millimeters".

Ah, okay, I said my piece...so peace! ;o)

Chris Padilla
Cisco Systems
San Jose, CA
------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from si-list:
si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field

or to administer your membership from a web page, go to:
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list

For help:
si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field


List technical documents are available at:
                http://www.si-list.net

List archives are viewable at:    =20
                http://www.freelists.org/archives/si-list
or at our remote archives:
                http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages
Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at:
                http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu
 =20


------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from si-list:
si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field

or to administer your membership from a web page, go to:
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list

For help:
si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field


List technical documents are available at:
                http://www.si-list.net

List archives are viewable at:     
                http://www.freelists.org/archives/si-list
or at our remote archives:
                http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages
Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at:
                http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu