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| ===Unit choice and order=== | | ===Unit choice and order=== |
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| Quantities are typically expressed using an appropriate "primary unit", displayed first, followed, when appropriate, by a conversion in parentheses e.g. {{xt|{{convert|200|km|mi}}}}. For details on when and how to provide a conversion, see the section {{section link||Unit conversions}}. The choice of primary units depends on the circumstances, and should respect the principle of "[[Wikipedia:Strong national ties|strong national ties]]", where applicable: | | Quantities are typically expressed using an appropriate "primary unit", displayed first, followed, when appropriate, by a conversion in parentheses e.g. {{xt|200 kilometers (120 mi)}}. |
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| * In '''non-scientific articles relating to the United States''', the primary units are [[United States customary units|US customary]], e.g. {{xt|97{{nbsp}}pounds (44{{nbsp}}kg)}}.
| | In '''all articles''', the primary units chosen will be [[Wikipedia:International System of Units|SI]] units, [[Wikipedia:Non-SI units mentioned in the SI|non-SI units officially accepted for use with the SI]], or such other units as they appear in-game. |
| * In '''non-scientific articles relating to the United Kingdom''', the primary units for most quantities are metric or other internationally used units,<ref name="UKmetricUnits">If there is disagreement about the primary units used in a UK-related article, discuss the matter on the article talk-page, at [[WT:MOSNUM|MOSNUM talk]], or both. If consensus cannot be reached, refer to historically stable versions of the article and retain the units used in these as the primary units. Also note the [[Metrication in the UK#Newspapers|style guides]] of British publications such as ''The Times'' (see [https://web.archive.org/web/20110918050646/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/article986731.ece archived version], under "Metric").</ref> except that:
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| ** UK engineering-related articles, including those on bridges and tunnels, generally use the system of units that the topic was [[engineering drawing|drawn up]] in (but road distances are given in imperial units, with a metric conversion – see next bullet);
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| ** the primary units for distance/{{zwsp}}length, speed and fuel consumption are miles, miles per hour, and miles per imperial gallon (except for short distances or lengths, where miles are too large for practical use);
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| ** the primary units for personal height and weight are feet{{zwsp}}/inches and stones/{{zwsp}}pounds;
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| ** imperial pints are used for quantities of draught beer/{{zwsp}}cider and bottled milk;
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| * In '''all other articles''', the primary units chosen will be [[International System of Units|SI]] units, [[Non-SI units mentioned in the SI|non-SI units officially accepted for use with the SI]], or such other units as are conventional in reliable-source discussions of the article topic (such as [[revolutions per minute]] (rpm) for angular speed, [[hand (unit)|hand]]s for heights of horses, et cetera).
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| {{em|Special considerations:}}
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| * Quantities set via definition (as opposed to measured quantities) should be given first in the units used in the definition, even if this makes the structure of presentation inconsistent: {{xt|During metrification, the speed limit was changed from 30{{nbsp}}mph (48{{nbsp}}km/h) to 50{{nbsp}}km/h (31{{nbsp}}mph)}}.
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| ** Or use ''about'' to emphasize which is the statutory, exact value: {{xt|...from 30{{nbsp}}mph (about 48{{nbsp}}km/h) to 50{{nbsp}}km/h (about 31{{nbsp}}mph)}}.
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| * Nominal quantities (e.g. {{xt|{{nowrap|[[2x4 (disambiguation)|2 × 4]]}} lumber}}) require consideration of whether the article is concerned with the item's actual dimensions or merely with its function. In some cases only the nominal quantity may suffice; in others it may be necessary to give the nominal size (often in non-SI units), the actual size in non-SI units, and the actual size in SI units.
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| * Whenever a conversion is used, ensure that the precision of the converted quantity in the article is comparable to the precision of the value given by the source {{crossref|(see {{section link||Unit conversions}})}}.
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| * Where the article's primary units differ from the units given in the source, the {{tlx|convert}} template's <code>|order=flip</code> flag can be used; this causes the {{em|original}} unit to be shown as secondary in the article, and the {{em|converted}} unit to be shown as primary: <code><nowiki>{{convert|200|mi|km|order=flip}}</nowiki></code> → {{xt|The two cities are {{convert|200|mi|km|order=flip}} apart.}}
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| ===Unit conversions=== | | ===Unit conversions=== |
