# How to read $10^{-5}\,\mathrm m^3$? [closed]

When a number is less than or equal to one, should I read the unit as cubic meter, and not as cubic meters?

Does the below read as "10 to the negative 5 cubic meter" or "10 to the negative 5 cubic meters"?

$$10 ^{-5}\,\mathrm m ^{3}$$

Thank you.

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## closed as off topic by Cameron Buie, TMM, Ben Millwood, mrf, GEdgarMar 10 '13 at 15:08

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Whether or not to pluralize "meter" is a question of English grammar, not a mathematical question. –  Henning Makholm Mar 10 '13 at 14:48
@HenningMakholm, you are right, and I apologize. But I am trying to read mathematical expressions to others. I have read documents on "how to speak math", but I haven't found the answer. Sorry... –  Tony Mar 10 '13 at 15:02
On local TV weather personality annoyed me by reading his chart: total rainfall so far this year: three and two tenths of an inch. –  GEdgar Mar 10 '13 at 15:07

It's a bit ambiguous. You could say "$10$ millionths of a cubic meter" (in this case), or "(any number but $1$) cubic meters."
Generally the singular form meter is reserved only for a unit of measurement i.e. one meter but you can of course have fractions of one meter, or $x$ meters where $x$ is any real number not equal to 1 or -1.