The world's tiniest debate has finally come to a close, much to the relief of the participants and spectators alike. The topic of discussion? Whether or not the period at the end of a sentence should be accompanied by one space or two.
The debate was initially sparked by a tweet from renowned grammarian, Geoffrey K. Pullum, who declared that using two spaces after a period was "totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong." This, of course, did not sit well with the many advocates of the double-space method, who took to Twitter to voice their concerns.
What ensued was a heated back-and-forth between both sides, with each accusing the other of being woefully uneducated on the matter. The argument soon spilled over onto other social media platforms and even spilled over into real-life conversations, with people bickering in cafés, on public transport, and in the workplace.
It was clear that a resolution was needed, and soon. But how could such a tiny debate be resolved in a way that would satisfy both camps?
Enter the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), an organization responsible for maintaining global standards in scientific measurements. After much deliberation, the BIPM announced that they had created a new unit of measurement, the "Space Unit" (SU), which would be used to determine the optimal amount of space to be used after a period.
The BIPM explained that one SU was equivalent to the width of a single space on a standard keyboard. They then conducted a study in which participants were asked to read a piece of text that had been typeset using either one space or two after each period. The text that had been typeset with one SU of space was seen as being the most aesthetically pleasing by a significant margin.
As a result, the BIPM declared that all future written works should adhere to the one-SU rule. This decision was met with mixed reactions, with some hailing it as a triumph for modernity and progress, and others decrying it as a blow to individual expression and creativity.
But despite the controversy that still surrounds the decision, one thing is clear: the world's tiniest debate has now been put to rest, and we can all move on with our lives. And who knows, maybe the next tiny debate will have even bigger implications.
