Why is it that...?

Question

Why is it that when ou abreviate milliliter you have to write it like mL, and not ml?. I mean, you can abreviate millimeter and write it like mm. Please help.

mispelled abbreviate

Answer 1

the simplest answer is that a lower case L and a capitol i are almost exactly alike in alot of circumstances. ml and mI both look the same, though i just typed them with two different combinations of letters.

another reason is that lower case L might already be in use by another symbol. don't know what it would be off the top of my head, but we sub uppercase letters for repeated symbols in physics all the time.

Answer 2

I believe ml is acceptable