Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/390

LEFT WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 332 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES weighed a talent. When the "foot" was 2-3 the royal cubit, the talent was 655,- 566 grains; this was the Egyptian, Hebrew, and Olympic monetary talent, later known as the great Alexandrian talent of brass and the Egypto-Roman talent. A talent half this weight was known as the Alexandrian talent of silver, or 327,783 grains; this was divided into 60 minas of 5,463 grains each; these are the origin of the Saxon moneyer's pound of 5,400 grains=Mint pound or Tower pound=old apothecaries pound of Germany; one such pound, in silver coins, was the original form of "one £ sterling," and was divided into 20 "shillings," or 240 "pence" or penny- weights; each pennyweight was divided into 32 monetary grains (wheat grains), each equal to 0.703125 modern grain. The Tower weight was abolished in 1527. The Saxon ounce contained 416.5 grains =:nearly, Roman uncia=l-12 libra; the libra ( = 5,015 grains) was the Greek- Asiatic and Persian mina of 5,015 grains. The Troy pound is 5,760 grains =12 ounces of 20 pennyweights each. Troy weight is now restricted to gold, silver, and jewels, except diamonds and pearls; the latter are weighed in carats (=:3.1683 grains), which were originally ih the Alexandrian ounce (the twelfth part of the mina of silver). Various larger pounds were early used for mer- chandise; in 1303 the "avoirdupois" pound (=7,000 grains) was in use. The Troy pound standard made by Mr. Bird in 1758 for the Weights and Measures Committee was legalized in 1824; in 1834 the standard was destroyed; the Standards Commission replaced troy weight by avordupois, and the standard pound is a mass of platinum weighing 7,000 grains iii vacuo, copies of which are distributed as in the case of stand- ards of length. The standard of capac- ity is the gallon, which was in 1824 ad- justed so as to contain 70,000 grains, or 10 pounds avoirdupois of water at 62" F. and 30 inches bar. pressure; this gal- lon occupying 227.274 cubic inches, in- stead of the old Winchester gallon of 274^ cubic inches. The French or metric system of weights and measures is based on the decimal system. (See Metric System.) The metric system was legal- ized in the United States on July 28, 1866, when Congress enacted as follows: The tables in the schedule hereto annexed shall be recognized In the construction of contracts, and in all legal proceedings, as establishing, in terms of the weights and measures now in use in the United States, the equivalents of the weights and measures expressed therein in terms of the metric system, and the tables may lawfully be used for computing, determining, and expressing in customary weights and measures the weights and measures of the metric system. The following are the tables annexed to the above: Metric Denominations and Values. Equivalents in Denominations in Use. Myriameter 10,000 meters. Kilometer 1,000 meters. Hectometer 100 meters. Dekameter 10 meters. Meter 1 meter. Decimeter 1-10 of a meter. Centimeter 1-100 of a meter. Millimeter 1-1000 of a meter.i 6.2137 miles. 0.62137 mile, or 3,280 feet 10 inches. 328 feet 1 inch. 393.7 inches 39.37 inches. 3.937 inches 0.3937 Inch. 0.0394 inch. Measures of Subface. Metric Denominations and Values. Equivalents in Denominations in Use. Hectare 10,000 square meters Are 100 square meters. Centare 1 square meter. 2.471 acres. 119.6 square yards. 1,550 square inches. Measup.es of Capacity. Metric Denominations and Values. Equivalents in Denominations in Use. Names. Num- ber of Liters Cubic Measure. Dry Measure. Liquid or Wine Measure. Kiloliter or stere. . ^ 1,000 100 10 1 1-10 1-100 1-1000 1,308 cubic yards. . . . 2 bush, and 3.35 pecks 264.17 gallons. Hectoliter 1-10 of a cubic meter. . . . 26.417 gallons. 2.6417 gallons. Liter 1 cubic decimeter 1-10 of a cubic decimeter 908 quart 1.0567 quarts. Deciliter Centiliter G.1022 cubic inches. . 0.G102 cubic inch. . . . 0.845 gill. 0.338 fluid oz. Milliliter 1 cubic centimeter 0.061 cubic inch 0.27 fluid dram.