Names and unit symbols for units of measure
In the following table, when a unit symbol includes a nonalphanumeric character, the keystrokes that generate the character are included in brackets after the unit symbol or abbreviation.
Unit | Unit symbol or abbreviation | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
ampere | A | electric current |
ampere-hour | Ah | electric charge |
ampere-second. See coulomb. | ||
amperes per meter | A/m | magnetic field strength |
amperes per square meter | A/m2 | current density |
amperes per volt. See siemens. | ||
angstrom (10–10 meters) | Å [Option-Shift-A] | optical wavelength |
attoampere (10–18 amperes) | aA | electric current |
baud (signal events per second) | Bd | speed of data transmission |
bel (10 decibels) | B | sound intensity |
bit | bit | size of data |
bits per second | bit/s | speed of data transmission |
byte | B | size of data |
candela | cd | luminous intensity |
candela per square inch | cd/sq. in. | luminance |
candela per square meter | cd/m2 | luminance |
centimeter | cm | length |
characters per inch | cpi | letter spacing (in type) |
coulomb (ampere-second) | C | electric charge |
coulombs per volt. See farad. | ||
cubic centimeter | cm3 | volume |
cubic foot | cu. ft. | volume |
cubic inch | cu. in. | volume |
cubic meter | m3 | volume |
cubic yard | cu. yd. | volume |
cycle | c | complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon |
cycles per second. See hertz. | ||
day | d | time |
decibel (0.10 bels) | dB | sound intensity |
degree | ° [Option-Shift-8] | angular measure |
degree Celsius | ° C [Option-Shift-8] | temperature |
degree Fahrenheit | ° F [Option-Shift-8] | temperature |
degree K=kelvin. See kelvin. | ||
degree Rankine | ° R [Option-Shift-8] | temperature |
dots per inch | dpi | resolution |
electromotive force | emf | energy derived from electrical source per unit quantity of electricity |
electron volt | eV | energy |
farad (coulombs per volt) | F | capacitance |
foot | ft. | length |
gallon | gal. | volume |
gigabit | Gbit | computer memory |
gigabits per second | Gbit/s (standard) Gbps (some Apple groups) | speed of data transmission |
gigabyte | GB | computer memory |
gigabytes per second | GB/s | speed of data transmission |
gigahertz | GHz | frequency |
gilbert | Gb | magnetomotive force |
gram | g | mass, weight |
grams per cubic centimeter | g/cm3 | density |
henry | H | inductance |
hertz (cycles per second) | Hz | frequency |
horsepower | HP | power |
hour | h | time |
inch | in. | length |
joule (kilogram-meter) | J | energy |
joules per second. See watt. | ||
kelvin | K | thermodynamic temperature |
kilobit (1000 bits) | kbit | computer memory |
kilobits per second | kbit/s (standard) kbps (some Apple groups) | speed of data transmission |
kilobyte (1024 bytes) | KB | computer memory |
kilobytes per second | KB/s | speed of data transmission |
kilogram | kg | mass, weight |
kilogram-force centimeter | kgf cm | torque |
kilogram-meter. See joule. | ||
kilogram-meters per second squared. See newton. | ||
kilograms per cubic meter | kg/m3 | density |
kilohertz | kHz | frequency |
kilohm | kΩ [Option-Z] | electric resistance |
kilometer | km | length, distance |
kilometers per hour | km/h | velocity |
kilowatt (kilovolt-ampere) | kW | power |
kilowatt-hour | kWh | energy (usually electric power consumption) |
lines per inch | lpi | resolution |
liter | l | volume |
liters per second | l/s | change in volume over time |
lumen | lm | flux of light |
lux | lx | illumination |
megabit | Mbit | computer memory |
megabits per second | Mbit/s (standard) Mbps (some Apple groups) | speed of data transmission |
megabyte | MB | computer memory |
megabytes per second | MB/s | speed of data transmission |
megahertz | MHz | frequency |
megapixel | MP | resolution |
meter | m | length, distance |
meters per second | m/s | velocity |
micrometer (10–6 meters) | μm [Option-M] | length |
micron. See micrometer. | ||
mil (10–3 inches) | mil | length |
mile | mi. [except in mph] | length, distance |
miles per hour | mph | velocity |
millimeter (10–3 meters) | mm | length |
million instructions per second | MIPS | microprocessor speed |
millisecond (10–3 seconds) | ms | time |
millivolt (10–3 volts) | mV | electric potential |
milliwatt (10–3 watts) | mW | power |
minute | min. | time |
month | mo. | time |
newton (kilogram-meters per second squared) | N | force |
newtons per square meter. See pascal. | ||
ohm | Ω [Option-Z] | electric resistance |
ounce | oz. | volume, weight |
pascal (newtons per square meter) | Pa | pressure, stress |
petabyte | PB | computer memory |
point | pt | font size |
pound | lb. | weight |
poundal | pdl. | force |
radian | rad | plane angle |
radians per second | rad/s | angular velocity |
radians per second squared | rad/s2 | angular acceleration |
revolutions per minute | rpm | angular velocity |
second | s (unit symbol) or sec. (abbreviation) | time |
siemens (amperes per volt) | S | conductance |
square foot | sq. ft. | area |
square inch | sq. in. | area |
square meter | m2 | area |
square mile | sq. mi. | area |
square yard | sq. yd. | area |
steradian | sr | solid angle |
terabit | Tbit | computer memory |
terabits per second | Tbit/s (standard) Tbps (some Apple groups) | speed of data transmission |
terabyte | TB | computer memory |
terabytes per second | TB/s | speed of data transmission |
tesla (webers per square meter) | T | magnetic flux density |
ton | tn. or ton | mass, weight |
volt | V | electric potential difference, electromotive force |
volt-ampere. See watt. | ||
volts (point-to-point) | Vpp | electric potential |
volts (root mean square) | Vrms | electric potential |
watt (joules per second) | W | power |
watt-hour | Wh | energy |
weber | Wb | magnetic flux |
webers per square meter. See tesla. | ||
yard | yd. | length, distance |
year | yr. | time |