Asterisks are not Sexy

[retoa]

(04-20-2016 09:36 AM)DrD Wrote:  

(04-20-2016 08:30 AM)retoa Wrote:  The SI (the international system of units) defines as the only accepted symbol for the multiplication between two numbers the cross. See the complete SI brochure on page 134 (english) or 45 (french).

http://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-b...nload.html

I really don't see why we should use something different if it is already internationally defined.

Sec 5.1 of your (English) reference, page 130 seems to be at odds with your conclusion:

"In forming products and quotients of unit symbols the normal rules of algebraic
multiplication or division apply. Multiplication must be indicated by a space or a
half-high (centred) dot (⋅), since otherwise some prefixes could be misinterpreted as a unit symbol." (My emphasis).

I first encountered the asterisk symbol for multiplication when using MITS Altair BASIC. Asterisk, instead of X, was to avoid operator vs. variable ambiguity. In complicated formulae, the asterisk seems to be quite clear (to me) as a multiplication operator, more so than other indications. I vote to keep the asterisk.

-Dale-

It is not at odds at all, point 5.1 refers to units, not to numbers.
Between units, numbers and units, letters, numbers and letters, parenthesis, fractions,... you can use the space or cdot.
Between two numbers space and cdot can be confusing so you should use the cross symbol as
5 6 is not clear (could be interpreted as 56) and
5 cdot 6 could be interpreted as 5.6

See point 5.3.6 for exemples.