KILO: prefix

Kilogram (symbol k) is a prefix of the International System of Units that multiplies by a thousand (10³) the unit it precedes: a kilometre equals 1000 metres, a kilogram equals 1000 grams, a kilohertz equals 1000 hertz. Although used generally, this prefix appears in horology in several technical contexts: kilohertz (kHz) for the Frequency of resonators using Quartz — the famous 32,768 Hz, i.e. approximately 32.768 kHz, the basis of Time for quartz watches; the kilogauss or, more rigorously, the units of magnetic field used when evaluating a watch’s antimagnetic resistance; or also the kilopascal for pressure during the tests of Water resistance. Care should be taken with the case of the symbol: lowercase “k” for kilo (uppercase “K” denotes kelvin), and not to confuse kilo used colloquially for kilogram with the prefix itself. A good grasp of prefixes and units is important in horology, the discipline of time measurement where orders of magnitude, from a fraction of a hertz to the kilohertz, shape the design of oscillators.