Company Writer's Guide
[For Illustration Only] B-11
Symbols for Units in General Use (Cont’d)
Unit Symbol Notes
liter L
1 L = 10
-3
m
3
. The letter symbol l has been
adopted for liter by the CGPM, and it is
recommended in a number of international
standards. In 1978, the CIPM accepted L as an
alternative symbol. Because of frequent
confusion with the numeral 1, the letter symbol l
is no longer recommended for USA use (see
Federal Register notice of December 10, 1976).
The script letter Ρ, which had been proposed, is
not recommended as a symbol for liter.
liter per second L/s
lumen lm SI unit of luminous flux.
lumen per square foot lm/ft
2
A unit of illuminance and also a unit of luminous
existence. Use of the SI unit, lumen per square
meter, is preferred.
lumen per square meter lm/m
2
SI unit of luminous existence.
lumen per watt lm/W SI unit of luminous efficacy.
lumen second lm•s SI unit of quantity of light.
lux lx 1 lx = 1 lm/m
2
SI unit of illuminance.
maxwell Mx
The maxwell is the electromagnetic CGS unit
of magnetic flux. Deprecated
(see ANSI Z210.1-1976).
mega M SI prefix for 10
6
.
megaelectronvolt MeV
megahertz MHz
megohm MΩ
meter m SI unit of length.
