Stupid question

[TnT]

So in Germany (or maybe most of Europe) the , is used to separate whole euro from cents?

As in 10,00 is ten euros?

Basically I'm thinking about buying one of these http://www.axbo.com and want to make sure I'm paying 199 euros.

[az]

Yes, that's 199.-- EUR. In Germany, the comma is used as a decimal point, and points are used to separate 10^3 (optional). Shipping, bank transfer fees, duties or taxes may apply, though. On the other hand, prices here include VAT (19%), so you may get yours cheaper, I don't know, though.

Please post a review if you do get it. Sounds very interesting!

[TnT]

Thanks az.

Here's one review: http://www.digitalreviews.net/review...arm-clock.html

I might just go buy an outlet timer and hook my lamp up to it. I'll see if that gets me to wake up naturally effectively first and if it doesn't then I might spend the $300 US (43 euro shipping!) for the Axbo.

[schmosef]

This is neat. Any idea where I can get one in Canada?

[Brian Ellis]

Yes, the comma is used in most Continental European countries as the decimal separator. The thousands separator is sometimes the dot, but sometimes also the apostrophe (which makes sense).

ISO states (ISO 31-0:1992(E)):
3.3.1 To facilitate the reading of numbers with many digits, these may be separated into suitable groups, preferably of three, counting from the decimal sign towards the left and the right; the groups should be separated by a small space, and never by a comma or a point, nor by any other means.

3.3.2 The decimal sign is a comma on the line
If the magnitude of the number is less than unity, the decimal sign should be preceded by a zero.
NOTE 17. In documents in the English language, a dot is often used instead of a comma. If a dot is used, it should be on the line. In accordance with an ISO Council decision, the decimal sign is a comma in ISO documents.

These are international standards, accepted and ratified by the standards institutions of most countries (including ANSI and BSS.

Examples:
Correct:
123 456,789 0
123456,7890
0,123
Acceptable:
123 456.789 0
0.123
Incorrect:
123,456.7890
123.456,7890
123'456,7890
,123
.123

While on the subject, let me cite 3.4 of the same document, and this is something that really gets my goat because it is so confusing at times, particularly with US and UK guys who ignore it:
The symbol of the unit shall be placed after the numerical value in the expression for a quantity, leaving a space between the numerical value and the unit symbol...

Correct:
12,34 m
5,6 in
Acceptable:
12.34 m
5.6 in
Incorrect:
12,34m
5,6in

There is a damn good reason for this: all the letters of the alphabet are used either as units or as multipliers (or both). Depending on the type face, confusion can exist between 1 and l and between 0 and O. This is even more likely with hand-written manuscripts (pleonasm!), which a typesetter may confuse. There are other more esoteric symbols that may also cause confusion.

[Nowhere]

Apparently it's quite messed up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_separator

(list of countries with different usages)

[TnT]

Yeah I figured I should ask first before finding out that the comma means something else and I pay like 5000 USD for an alarm clock.