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If it's written as "0.5 ampere", shouldn't we write "0.5 hour" and not "0.5 hours"?

choster
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Poppycock
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1 Answers1

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It should be "0.5 amperes" and "0.5 hours". It is a rule in English that for any value other than 1, the units should be written in the plural form if they are being spelled out. If you are using abbreviations for units, however, they should remain singular in spelling (e.g. "0.5 A" not "0.5 As").

General Poxter
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  • Any value except 1 or -1, but otherwise I agree with you. – nnnnnn Oct 26 '20 at 09:21
  • Imagining a current of -0.5 A is hard. – Michael Harvey Oct 26 '20 at 12:34
  • Please add supporting references, linked and attributed, to answers. But note that many questions are duplicates; this has certainly been answered before, and ELU aims to avoid bloat. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 26 '20 at 15:35
  • @MichaelHarvey - I was referring to the general rule, but in the context of electricity volts can certainly have negative values and that may be directly relevant for somebody who asked about amperes. – nnnnnn Oct 26 '20 at 23:08
  • Voltage is measured relative to some reference point. You can't have less than zero current. – Michael Harvey Oct 27 '20 at 07:02