Deca - Definition and Overview

For the marketing association, see DECA (Organization)

Deca- (U.S. spelling deka, Greek δέκα) is a Greek prefix meaning ten. The Latin equivalent is deci-.

The prefix is an SI prefix (symbol da) in the SI system of units denoting a factor of 10¹ or 10. It is not in very common usage. The SI prefix was adopted by France in 1795 and internationally by 1960.

• 1 decametre = 10 metres
• 1 decalitre = 10 litres

Examples:

• In calendars a decade is a period of ten years.

• In electromechanical equipment a decade is a group of ten numbers on a switch or indicator, which may represent units, tens, hundreds, etc.

• A Decapod is a ten-legged creature. One kind of decapod is the lobster (a kind of arthropod of the order decapoda), another is the cuttlefish (a kind of cephalopod).

• A decagon is a polygon with 10 sides.

See Also

• SI prefix
• Greek numerical prefixes

External link

• BIPM website (http://www.bipm.org)