0.72 m, singular or plural?

[sitifan]

Which is the correct reading of 0.72 m, "zero point seven two meter" or "zero point seven two meters"?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Singular is more grammatical, but plural might be more common.

 

[GoesStation]

It's plural to me.

 

[SoothingDave]

Me, too. Everything is plural, except for exactly 1.0.

Even zero is plural.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's plural to me.

It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong.

 

[PeterCW]

It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong.

Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit.

 

[teechar]

Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit.

Consider:
We caught no rats in that basement. [We use the plural in such a sentence because we are talking in general]

Thus:
We caught zero rats in that basement. [Here, we keep the plural because "zero" substitutes for "no"]

For learners:
Stick to the advice given by SoothingDave in post #4 above.

 

[Tdol]

If there is no length it can't have a unit.

The length doesn't exist, but, for me, the unit by which we would measure it does.