Every real world scientific unit comes after the value. Important units like the watt, joule, volt and even groupies such as km/h. Why is the dollar so special? Why is the convention $0.50 instead of 0.50$ ?

Is it because the dollar unit does not want to associate with it's lesser relative, cents. Being on the same side as cents, the dollar could be seen as weak, inferior. How many symbols couldn't have that? The dollar would have to deal will all those tiny bits not those huge figures that important symbols deal with.

So, convention makes it seem, we have to pander to dollars ego and let it be special in the world of units. But I say we should fly against convention and put the dollar firmly back on the ground with all the other units we love and use.
-- wjt, Aug 05 2015

(??) shoes shoes.com
Shoes are best. [popbottle, Aug 06 2015]

Think rationally now. Before I give you a number, does it not make sense to give you a clue as to context? Angstroms? Pushups you owe me? Prior girlfriends your boyfriend has had? Kilometers? Dollars! I think that it makes eminent good sense to put units first, and then specify the number.

All you units, get in line behind the specialness and you can be special too.
-- bungston, Aug 05 2015


I suspect the answer has to do something with Donald Trump.
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 05 2015


The shoe is a magical unit of value. It is almost worthless as a single unit, but as part of a pair it is worth a great deal. I always like to get a great deal on a pair of shoes. And it is the time to buy shoes as my toes are starting to shoe through the side.

Shoes for industry. Shoes for defense. Shoes for me and you. Scrap all those other currencies and price everything in terms of shoe pairs. Also known as pair value.
-- popbottle, Aug 06 2015


What is the SI unit of money, and how is it defined?
-- pocmloc, Aug 07 2015


Here's an interesting fact. Google calculator treats money units identically to any other unit. If you google, say, "planck's constant * 40 USD" it will propagate the units without batting an eyelid.
-- mitxela, Aug 07 2015


[mitxela] That's brilliant! - "2.65042783 × 10-32 m2 kg U.S. dollars/s". I'm tring to think of a practical application for that now...
-- hippo, Aug 07 2015


A meaningful representation of Simon Cowell's value to your species ?
-- 8th of 7, Aug 07 2015


//What is the SI unit of money, and how is it defined?//

The second, obviously. Time is money.
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 07 2015


[bungston] Dollars five, Yoda, does he have.

Thinking of time, there must be a correlation involving the inflation of the universe, money in the cents of plank's constant.
-- wjt, Aug 08 2015


// Dollars five, Yoda, does he have //

"When nine hundred years old you are, index-linked annuity value great is".
-- 8th of 7, Aug 08 2015


Payment Protection Insurance have you?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 09 2015


//The second, obviously. Time is money//

You shouyld have tolm me earlier. I usually pay for my croceries with coins and banknotes. Next time I'll just hang around for half an hour as payment.
-- pocmloc, Aug 09 2015


Dialectal variants.
-- pocmloc, Aug 10 2015


The Dollar sign was created by Etienne Dollard in 1836. As per the French convention to write everything backwards, the dollar sign was placed before the numerals.
-- Cuit_au_Four, Aug 10 2015


/Actually, it’s derived from the Thaler./

That must be why it looks so thpiffy! (whistles Old Spice jingle)
-- bungston, Aug 11 2015


this is massively pedantic [+]
-- sninctown, Aug 11 2015


// Is it because the dollar unit does not want to associate with it's lesser relative, cents.

The Aristolean explanation of the semantics concerning currency symbol placement.
-- Cuit_au_Four, Aug 12 2015


I just realized why the dollar sign is in front. No matter how many dollars there are, they just don't make cents.
-- wjt, Aug 14 2015



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