I’m not sure on the miles thing…
But this is the rule for metres.
“A "square metre" is not the same thing as a "metre square" - although it is true that exactly 1 square metre is exactly 1 me...
i assume in some local dialect the expression "a mile square" has a meaning but it's not general english idiom.
the real problem is that square is a perimeter, even more than *shape* it's a specification of length. a mile is a specification of length. squared, with the past tense, is an operator, just like square as prefix is an operator.
i guess it makes me more crazy because when i am imprecise to an AI or in code i get punished. the ambiguity is still there. in my opinion, a meter square is referring to the perimeter, and so it's 25cm each side for a sum of 1m.
the real problem is that square is a perimeter, even more than *shape* it's a specification of length. a mile is a specification of length. squared, with the past tense, is an operator, just like square as prefix is an operator.
i guess it makes me more crazy because when i am imprecise to an AI or in code i get punished. the ambiguity is still there. in my opinion, a meter square is referring to the perimeter, and so it's 25cm each side for a sum of 1m.
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