Towards a Theory of Conversion Relations for Prefixed Units of Measure

Units of measure with prefixes and conversion rules are given a formal semantic model in terms of categorial group theory. Basic structures and both natural and contingent semantic operations are defined. Conversion rules are represented as a class of ternary relations with both group-like and category-like properties. A hierarchy of subclasses is explored, each with better algebraic behavior than the preceding, culminating in a direct efficient conversion-by-rewriting algorithm.