Thanks a MM

[tell-me-more]

An American bank that I deal with uses MM to represent millions, and M to represent thousands, so whenever I read say $6M I have to remember that it's $6,000 not $6,000,000. Similarly, when I write �6M to represent �6,000,000 it's usually mistaken for �6,000 - or at least the question gets asked.

Is this notation common in the US or anywhere else?

and

Is it just me, or is it a ridiculous notation?

I can't see any benefit to it, and on the downside, it can be confused with the K for thousand, M for million etc. notation, which is simpler (requiring only one letter for each order of magnitude) and already in widespread use.

Do people use MMMM for trillion?

[kempie]

Discussion here...

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/60697 .html

[tell-me-more]

The MM for million notation is just plain crazy in my eyes, and I'd rather receive a dozen e-mails a day converting everyone to a sensible notation than give in and accept a more cumbersome and less meaningful notation.

Surely everyone must recognise the k, M, G, T notation for thousands, millions, billions and trillions by now - why would you want to use MMMM for trillions instead?

[kempie]

Remember this is in reference of the US who have offered stronger resistance to metrication than many other countries. Their brand of isolationism is now more difficult in the 'global economy' but only a few decades ago they would not have cared if their usual practices (such as MM=million) were out of kilter with the rest of the world and this would have perpetuated the anomalies which still remain. They still use feet and inches, along with gallons (albeit a different gallon to that of the UK which was superseded by litres).

[mibn2cweus]

I believe what we are dealing with here is the use of Roman Numerals to designate dollar amounts . . . although carrying forward the convention one might expect MM to mean 2000. Go figure.

[kempie]

The US started to 'softly' push metrication on a federal level in the late 70s and mandated NASA to use metric in 1988, however this did not prevent the loss of a Mars probe in 1999. After a 10-month spaceflight the probe approached Mars but engineers sent data in US customary units instead of metric with calamitous results...

http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars .metric/

[Organgrinder]

If you think NASA use metric try looking up the viscosity of air on the net. The NASA web site talks about slugs, which I thought expired years ago never to reappear.

[kempie]

In 2007 NASA thought it noteworthy to announce their intention for one of their future missions to be fully metric...

...in 2020.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/08jan_ metricmoon.htm

[zxyvixy]

1. The cardinal number equal to 106.
2. A million monetary units, such as dollars: made a million in the stock market.
3. An """indefinitely"" large number. Often used in the plural: millions of bicycles on the road.
4. The common people; the masses. Often used in the plural: entertainment for the millions.

i haven`t got a clue what your on about just wanted to look intelligent.hahaha

[Organgrinder]

Instead, you look like an idiot