TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
can i please have your reactions to this statement:
centimeters is not an accepted international unit of measure. it
should be either meters or millimeters.
Hogwash. It depends upon your field. Different fields have different
standard units of measure. (In the scientific community, cm is quite
acceptable for example.)
it is not necessary to list a dimension to five significant digits,
e.g., 210.98 mm wide. this number should be rounded up to 211 mm.
it was my impression that in a Specification list, the exact
dimensions should be used, but in a text reference, rounding up is
ok. am i off the mark here?
What are the tolerances? If the manufacturing tolerance of the part is +/-
10 mm, there's no need to go to .01 mm resolution, as in the majority of
cases you will be supplying incorrect information. OTOH, if the tolerances
are truly to .01 mm, then rounding up is a serious error.
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
----------------------------------------------
In God we trust; all others must provide data.
----------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.
