The use of "k" to represent thousand comes from the Greek word "kilo" meaning "one thousand." This convention is widely used in various fields, especially in the metric system and scientific notation, to simplify the expression of large numbers
The metric system uses prefixes to denote powers of ten, making it easier to work with numbers spanning orders of magnitude. "Kilo" is a prefix used to denote a factor of one thousand, so when you see "k" in front of a unit such as meter (km), gram (kg), or hertz (kHz), it indicates a value that is greater than the base unit. A thousand times bigger.
For example:
1 kilometer (km) equals 1,000 meters (m).
1 kilogram (kg) equals 1,000 grams (g).
1 kilohertz (kHz) is equal to 1,000 hertz (Hz).
This convention simplifies calculations and makes it easier to work with large numbers, especially in scientific and technical contexts. It is also used informally in everyday language, as in "I cycled 5k", meaning that I cycled five kilometres.
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