When to use K versus M for one thousand abbreviation?

Answer 1

M stands for Mill the Roman word for 1,000, and k for kilo, the Greek word for 1000.

In metric measurements, k is the correct symbol to use for a thousand. A kilometre is a thousand metres. A kilogram is a thousand grams. I kilojoule is a thousand joules. A kilocalorie is a thousand calories. They are all abbreviated k: km, kg, kj, kp etc. The Latin prefix milli means thousandth. One gram is a thousand milligrams, one litre is a thousand millilitres and so on.

A KiloByte is 1024 bytes. It is not an even thousand because computer users, unlike the rest of the world, do not use base 10. For quantity it is only used in the computer and printing worlds.

When dealing with a printer, if you order 10k of a product you will get 10,240. If you are paying on a each basis (e.g. $0.20 each) your costs are higher than you budgeted. This really hurts when you order 5 million of a brochure or form. Use M for thousand when dealing with printing services. Printers for some reason have a weak grasp of history and Greek.