# [texhax] Units in technical writing..Redux

Firestone, Elaine R. (GSFC-616.0)[BIOSPHERICAL INSTRUMENTS INC] elaine.r.firestone at nasa.gov
Thu Dec 29 15:52:05 CET 2011

Sorry, I meant 3$\,$m$\,$s$^{-2}$ with carat mark to superscript the -2. Haven't had my morning caffeine yet.

What Reinhard said...absolutely...always! Units are **always** set roman with a thin space in between the number and unit, and a thin space between each unit if multiple units are used as in the plain TeX code of

3$\,$m$\,$s${-2}$ or with our macro of \mps.

(Says the technical editor and TeX typesetter for NASA for over 25 years.)

Elaine Firestone, ELS
BSI, Inc., Communications and Documentation Manager
E-mail: Elaine.R.Firestone at nasa.gov
Phone: 240-786-7540

On Dec 28, 2011, at 9:22 PM, Reinhard Kotucha wrote:

> On 2011-12-28 at 16:04:28 -0800, Robert Wilson wrote:
>
>> I'd like to ask a related question on what is the appropriate way to
>> typeset units. Italic?
>
> No, units are typeset upright always.  Only variables are typeset
> italic.  Operators like d (differential) or i, j (complex) or e
> (exponential) are typeset upright.  They are not variables.
>
> And text is always upright, even in math formulas:
>
>
>
>> Space between number and unit?
>
> Yes, or maybe better a thin space (\, in LaTeX).
>
>> I've never been able to find an authoritative style guide.
>
> I'm sure there are ISO standards but I fear that you have to pay for a
> copy.  You'll probably find them in a library of a university.
>
> Another valuable source is TUGboat, http://tug.org/TUGboat .  There
> are often quite interesting articles about math typesetting.
>
> The siunitx (LaTeX) package has all the rules built-in.  It's also
> worthwhile to consult its documentation.  The reference section
>
> And even if you don't read anything at all, there is a simple rule:
> Everything within a math formula has to be unambiguous.  If variables
> are italic, units have to be typeset differently.
>
> Regards,
> Reinhard
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Reinhard Kotucha                                      Phone: +49-511-3373112
> Marschnerstr. 25
> D-30167 Hannover                              mailto:reinhard.kotucha at web.de
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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