Re: Metric Time (was Re: Why not 13 months? (Was La Systeme Metrique))

Fred Read (Fred@foxhouse.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 19 Oct 95 17:31:51 GMT

In article <ACAB51F396682326C@158.152.42.24>
martin@abulafia.demon.co.uk "Martin Storey" writes:

> Fred Read <Fred@foxhouse.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >Just to clear things up:
> >
> > k = 1000
> > K = 1024
>
> k is the SI symbol for thousands. Where did K ever come from?

Computers, binary numbers.

2^10 is the unit that memory used to be measured in.

2^10 = 1024 which is just a bit more than 1000 (1k)

1024 bytes became known as a Kilobyte.

The letter K was adopted to avoid confusion with the
SI symbol k which means 1000.

Hope that helps...

Fred "Who remembers when 64K was a bloody impressive spec!" Read

-- 

Fred Read

How many people do *you* know with a C function named after them ?