Editing Metric prefix (section)

{{Short description|Order of magnitude indicator}}
{{For|use of measurement as a form of social power|metric power}}
{{use British English|date=November 2022}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2022|cs1-dates=y}}
A '''metric prefix''' is a [[unit prefix]] that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a [[multiple (mathematics)|multiple or submultiple]] of the unit. All metric prefixes used today are [[decimal|decadic]]. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to any unit symbol. The prefix ''[[kilo-|kilo]]'', for example, may be added to ''gram'' to indicate ''multiplication'' by one thousand: one [[kilogram]] is equal to one thousand grams. The prefix ''[[milli-|milli]]'', likewise, may be added to ''metre'' to indicate ''division'' by one thousand; one millimetre is equal to one thousandth of a metre.

Decimal multiplicative prefixes have been a feature of all forms of the [[metric system]], with six of these dating back to the system's introduction in the 1790s. Metric prefixes have also been used with some non-metric units. The '''SI prefixes''' are metric prefixes that were standardised for use in the [[International System of Units]] (SI) by the [[International Bureau of Weights and Measures]] (BIPM) in resolutions dating from 1960 to 2022.<ref name="prefixes">{{Cite web
| title = SI prefixes
| url = http://www.bipm.org/en/si/prefixes.html
| url-status = deviated
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140912222624/http://www.bipm.org/en/si/prefixes.html
| archive-date = 12 September 2014
| access-date = 13 June 2023
| website = Bipm.org
| publisher = Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
}}</ref><ref name="res2022">{{Cite web
| title = Resolutions of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (27th meeting)
| date = 18 November 2022
| url = https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/64811223/Resolutions-2022.pdf/281f3160-fc56-3e63-dbf7-77b76500990f
| url-status = live
| access-date = 18 May 2024
| archive-date = 13 June 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230613084209/https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/64811223/Resolutions-2022.pdf/281f3160-fc56-3e63-dbf7-77b76500990f
| publisher = Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
| language = fr, en
| format = PDF
}}</ref> Since 2009, they have formed part of the [[ISO/IEC 80000]] standard. They are also used in the [[Unified Code for Units of Measure]] (UCUM).