Multipliers

To avoid awkward strings of zeroes, large numbers are usually written in a shorthand power-of-ten format. A multiplier is added to the unit as a prefix to indicate the appropriate order of magnitude. You can use the following types of multipliers:

Decimal multipliers

Indicate the order of magnitude of a number in the decimal system.

Binary multipliers

Indicate the order of magnitude of a number in the binary system.

The following table lists decimal multipliers.

Table B-1Decimal Multipliers
Multiplier Abbreviation Order of Magnitude
peta P 1015
tera T 1012
giga G 109
mega M 106
kilo k 103
deci d 10-1
centi c 10-2
milli m 10-3
micro u 10-6
nano n 10-9

The following table lists binary multipliers.

Table B-2Binary Multipliers
Multiplier Abbreviation Order of Magnitude
Kilo K 210 = 1024
Mega M 220 = 1,048,576