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study any foreign language impossible without studying the cultural characteristics of a given country. In order to better understand the language itself, it is necessary to pay attention to the realities, traditions, linguistic and cultural differences of the nation. In our case we are talking about the English-speaking population (as usual, we take the UK and the USA). English (American) units of measurement (units of measurement) just relate to those features in which it is desirable to understand in order to fully understand their written and oral speech.

You have probably come across English (American) units of measurement more than once. For example, I often met them in English-language literature, news, TV shows, movies, etc. And how to cook an interesting dish according to an English or American recipe? All ingredients in it are also listed in ounces and pounds. Sometimes you read some book in English, you reach it and stop, trying to understand how tall he is. After all, it is measured in feet and inches, which is unusual for us, because many do not know the meaning of these quantities. We have a metric system, give us meters and centimeters. Or listen to world news in English: again discussing the price of oil. And one barrel costs so much and so much. How much is in this barrel? Liters are more familiar to us. And they measure liquids in gallons, and they weigh everything in pounds and ounces.

If you have already encountered similar situations, then, obviously, you looked into the table of English (American) units of measurement in order to roughly estimate what quantities are in question. If you haven't tried it yet, let's take a look.

English (American) linear measures

According to the English system of units ( British Imperial System of measurement), which is used in the UK, the United States of America and other countries, the main linear measures ( linear measure) are the following values:

1. inch ( inch) = 25.4 mm (2.54 cm)
2. foot ( foot) = 0.3048 m (or 12 inches)
3. yard ( yard) = 0.9144 m (or 3 feet)
4. Mile ( miles) = 1.609 km (or 1.760 yards)
5. Hand ( hand) = 10.16 cm (or 4 inches)

Note that the nautical mile value ( nautical miles) is somewhat different - 1.8532 (England) and 1.852 (USA). If you need to convert the value in feet as quickly as possible, divide the number in feet by three. And if you want to quickly convert the length in miles into kilometers, multiply the number by 1.5 (or divide the number of miles by 5 and multiply by 8). Get an approximate result in each case. By the way, a yard is almost a meter (91.44 cm), you can safely round it up.

The common narwhal or sea unicorn often attains a length of sixty feet. - The common narwhal whale often reaches 60 feet (20 meters) in length.

She wears classic 5 inch high heels. – She wears dress shoes with 5 inch (12-13 cm) heels.

English (American) area measures

Under area units ( square measure) we understand any values ​​in the "square", namely:

1. square inch ( square inch) = 6.45 cm²
2. square foot ( square foot) = 929 cm²
3. square yard ( square yard) = 0.836 m²
4. square mile ( square mile) = 2.59 km²
5. acre ( acre) = 0.405 ha = 4046.86 m²

The new value is "acre". To quickly convert acres to hectares, multiply the value by 0.4. Even faster is to divide by two. The approximate area in hectares will become known. It's easier with square feet - divide the number by 10, and you have a value in meters.

We bought an old house on five acres. We bought a new house on five acres of land (2 hectares).

How many square yards are there in a square meter? How many square yards are in a square meter?

English (American) measures of weight

In what units are the British or Americans used to measure the weight of a substance ( weight measure), product, etc.?

1. ounce ( ounce, oz) = 28.35 g
2. Pound ( pounds) = 453.59 g (or 16 oz)
3. Stone ( stone) = 6.35 kg (or 14 lb) - used primarily in the USA
4. short ton ( short tone) = 907.18 kg
5. long ton ( long tone) = 1016 kg

You have probably already noticed that the basic unit of measurement - the pound - is almost half a kilogram. Therefore, converting the number you need to pounds and vice versa is not difficult. To specify, for example, your weight in pounds, simply double it.

Baby Brianna weighed 13 ounces at birth. – Little Brianna weighed 13 ounces (370 g) at birth.

How to lose 20 pounds forever in exercise and diet? How to permanently lose 20 pounds (9 kg) through exercise and diet?

English (American) measures of volume

Among the main English (American) units of measurement of volume ( cubic measure) should be called:

1. Cubic inch = 16.39 cm³
2. Cubic foot = 0.028 m³
3. Cubic yard = 0.76 m³

How many cubic yards does this dump truck hold? How many cubic yards does this dump truck hold?

The USA has more than 2200 trillion cubic feet of gas waiting to be pumped, enough to satisfy nearly 100 years of current US natural-gas demand. – The US has more than 22 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, which is enough to supply the US for the next hundred years at current consumption levels.

English (American) measures of liquids and bulk solids

How do they measure liquid substances ( liquid measure)?

1. Butt ( butt) = 490.97 l
2. Barrel ( barrel) = 163.65 L ( GB)/119.2 l ( US)
3. Barrel (oil) = 158.988 L ( GB)/158.97 l ( US)
4. gallon ( gallons) = 4.546 L ( GB)/3.784 l ( US)
5. Pint ( pint) = 0.57 L ( GB)/0.473 l ( US)
6. fluid ounce ( fluid ounce) = 28.4 ml

How many ounces of water should I drink every day? How many ounces of water a day should I drink?

How many gallons of gasoline are consumed in the USA? How many gallons of fuel does the US population consume?

And for someone Good Evening)) This post will be devoted to units of measurement in the United States. I think it will be useful to many and will pass for a cheat sheet. And by the way, if you are going to fly to America, it will be very useful to memorize at least the basic ones, so that you have an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow to answer the seller’s simple question: “How many pounds do you need to weigh?” :)

I will not give all the measures of measurement, but only the main ones that are actually found and most often come across in the USA. So, let's begin,
Weight units:
Ounce (ounce, abbr. - oz) = 28.35 gr
Pound (pound, abbr. - lb, lbs) = 453.59 gr

Length units:
Inch (inch, abbr. - in) = 25.4 mm
Foot (foot, abbr. - ft) = 304.8 mm
Yard (yard, abbr. - yd) \u003d 0.9144 m
Mile (mile, abbr. - mi) = 1609.34 m

Volume units:
Usually, all measures are written on the packages, including our usual “liter”, but just in case, I will lay out the rest.
Ounce (ounce, abbr. - oz) = 0.029 l
Pint (pint, abbr. - pt) \u003d 0.473 l
Quart (quart, abbr. - qt) \u003d 0.946 l
Gallon (gallon, abbr. - gal) \u003d 3.785 l

Temperature unit:
Oooh, it's not that simple here. In the US, as we know, or for some we are now learning, temperature is measured in Fahrenheit. And since we are used to seeing Celsius everywhere, we need to somehow translate it. This is done according to the following formula: C \u003d (F - 32) / 1.8.
Well, how convenient?)) I understand perfectly, and therefore I almost never used this formula. Just remember the basics and you will roughly know how to dress. Below is a table of temperatures (not exact!), Rounded to tenths, it's easier to remember.
-20oF = -29oC
+ 0oF = - 18oC
+ 20oF = - 7oC
+ 40oF = + 4oC
+ 60oF = + 15oC
+ 80oF = + 27oC
+ 100oF = + 38oC

Well, let's end here. I also wanted to talk about the correspondence between the sizes of clothes and shoes, but I think it’s easier to show everything in the tables, I’ll post it later. If you want to memorize something else, then such posts will be in the rubric.

Despite the invention of the decimal system, which is now used by the whole world, American and English measures of length are often found in everyday life. Let's take the diagonal of the TV. In the passports of equipment, warranty cards, everywhere the size is indicated in inches. The same applies to the diameter of pipes, sizes of tools, bolts, nuts. In order not to look stupid in situations with unfamiliar quantities, it is necessary to have an idea about the main ones.

Measures of length

Our ancestors did not have digital and magnetic instruments capable of measuring the desired value. Therefore, for convenience, they used the measure of their own body, that is, what they always have with them. These were feet, fingers, elbows, steps, palms.

• Mile as the most popular unit, adopted around the world to indicate the distance of air and land routes.

1 mile (mil) = 1609 m

1 nautical mile = 1852 m

• The basic value of the American system is considered to be a foot.

1 foot (ft) = 30.48 cm

The meaning of the foot comes from England. This value measured a distance equal to 16 feet and was called a stock (stock).

• Size inch was popular in all European countries before the introduction of the SI system. It was calculated by the length of the joint of the thumb or its width at the base.

1 inch (in) = 25.4 mm

There is an opinion that the size of an inch was determined by three grains of barley, laid along one after another. According to another version, the component of an inch was 1/36 of a yard, which was established by King Henry I in 1101. Its length was equal to the distance from the middle finger of the right hand to the tip of his nose.

• The yard was originally taken as the average stride length.

1 yard (yd) = 0.9144 m

• Line - used in the military to indicate the caliber of a weapon.

1 line (ln) = 2.12 mm

• league. The value of the league has long been used in naval battles to determine the distance of a cannon shot. Later it began to be used for land and postal affairs.

1 league = 4.83 km

Measures rarely used in everyday life

1 mil = 0.025 mm

1 hand = 10.16 cm

1 genus = 5.029 m

1 chain = 20.12 m (for surveyors) and 30.48 m (for builders)

1 furlong = 201.17 m

1 faton = 1.83 m

1 el = 1.14 m

1 pace = 0.76 m

1 qubit = 46-56cm

1 span = 22.86 cm

1 link = 20.12 cm (for surveyors) and 30.48 cm (for builders)

1 flieger = 11.43 cm

1 nail = 5.71 cm

1 barleycorn = 8.47 mm

1 dot = 0.353 mm

1 cable = 219.5 m (in England it is 183 m)

The most popular units of measurement

The USA is the only developed country that has abandoned the metric system. In addition to the States, 2 more countries do not use the SI system, these are Liberia and Myanmar.

Once in this country, do not be surprised if in cold, wet weather you ask how many degrees outside, and they answer you that it is plus 32. Just 0 degrees Celsius, this is American 32 Fahrenheit. When approaching a gas station, be sure to convert liters to gallons. Our 3.78 liters corresponds to one gallon.

What are the main units of measurement used in America?

Measures of liquid and granular bodies

Main measures:

• Barrel- a measure of volume for bulk materials and liquids.

Translated from English means barrel. In the world, the calculation of oil in barrels is recognized as the most convenient, so oil companies set prices in dollars per barrel.

1 barrel (bbl) = 158.9 liters

1 dry barrel = 115.6 liters

Especially for calculating the volume of beer in the UK, the concept of a beer barrel was introduced. Its value changed over time and depended on the type of drink (ale or beer). The value was finally established in 1824 and amounted to 163.66 liters per 1 barrel.

• Bushel- a measure of volume for dry matter in agriculture (measured the volume of grain, vegetables, fruits). In international trade, a bushel is accepted as a container weighing 18 kg.

1 bushel (bu) = 35.24 liters

• Gallon- the same as the barrel. A gallon is in turn divided into a pint and an ounce.

1 fluid gallon (gl) = 3.79 dm3

1 gallon for bulk solids (gl) = 4.4 dm 3

1 pint = 1/8 gallon = 0.47 dm3

1 ounce = 1/16 pint = 29.57 ml

An ounce has retained its value since ancient times and was approximately equal to 30 g. In the American system, the concept of an ounce is widely used in the pharmaceutical and jewelry business.

• Quart- a unit of measure for the volume of a container, equal to ¼ gallon

1 quart for liquid = 0.946 liters

1 quart solids = 1.1 liters

Measures of area

The square acre has found the greatest distribution in world literature.

Its original designation served to calculate the area of ​​land that one peasant with one ox could cultivate.

Converting the value of acre to the SI system is very simple. If we divide the number by 10, we get the result in meters. And if you divide by 2 - in hectares.

1 inch (sq. in) = 6.45 cm2

1 foot (sq. ft) = 929 cm 2

1 yard (sq.yd) = 0.836 m2

1 mile (sq.mi) = 2.59 km2

1 acre (a) \u003d 4046.86 m 2

Measures of volume

Why define volume?

• to describe the capacity of household appliances
• for shipping containers
• to determine the amount of gas
• to describe the capacity of commercial warehouses

The most common measure three-dimensional space use ft. A cubic foot is defined as the volume of a cube, with an edge of 1 foot. Less commonly used values ​​are yard and inch.

To get a cubic volume, you need to multiply the length, height and width.

1 ton (register) = 2.83 m 3

1 yard = 0.76 m 3

1 foot \u003d 28.32 dm 3

1 inch = 16.39 cm3

Measures of weight

• The pound is used as a measure of weight and to describe mass.

In the US, the pound is used to express pressure per square inch. The pound is also used to describe the weight of ammunition (cartridges, shells, bullets).

To convert pounds to kilograms, you need to divide the number of pounds by 2.2

1 lb (lb) = 453.59 g

• An ounce is a measure of weight that has found application in jewelry, banking, to determine the weight of precious metals and stones, as well as in the pharmaceutical business.

To convert an ounce to kilograms, you need to divide its amount by 35.2

1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 g

• A stone is a unit of measure that is used to describe the weight of the human body..

1 stone (st) = 6.35 kg

• Short ton - a unit of weight equivalent to 2,000 pounds. In the USA, the long ton is also known, but practically not used, which is equal to 2240 trade pounds.

1 short ton = 907.18 kg

1 long ton = 1016 kg

If you are going to America, check out the local standard of measures. Thus, you will avoid awkward situations and choose the right question that interests you. For this, it is not necessary to memorize numbers. It is enough to download a simple converter to your phone.

Despite the fact that the decimal number system (positional number system in integer base 10, one of the most common systems; it uses the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, called Arabic numerals ; it is assumed that base 10 is related to the number of fingers in a person) is very common in modern life, and it is not uncommon to find English and American measures of calculation ... The English system of measures is used in the USA, Myanmar and Liberia. Some of these measures in a number of countries vary somewhat in size, so the following are mainly rounded metric equivalents of English measures, convenient for practical calculations.

Measures of length

The variety and accuracy of modern measuring instruments is amazing. But what did our ancestors use in the absence of measuring instruments? To measure the length, our ancestors used the measure of their own body - fingers, elbows, steps ...

One of the most common units of length is the mile. The mile is used to measure the distance between air and land routes.

Mile(from Latin mille passuum - a thousand double steps of Roman soldiers in full dress on the march) - a travel measure for measuring distance, introduced in ancient Rome. The mile was used in a number of countries in antiquity, as well as in many modern countries before the introduction of the metric system of measures. In countries with a non-metric system of measures, the mile is still used today. The mileage varies from country to country and ranges from 0.58 km(Egypt) to 11.3 km(Old Norwegian mile). Back in the 18th century in Europe there were 46 different units of measurement called miles.

British and American (statutory) mile = 8 furlongs = 1760 yards = 5280 feet = 1609.34 meters (160934.4 centimeters).

This unit of length is now commonly used in the US to measure road lengths and speeds.

Nautical mile- a unit of distance used in navigation and aviation.

According to the modern definition, adopted at the International Hydrographic Conference in Monaco in 1929, the international nautical mile (International Nautical Mile) is equal to exactly 1852 meters. The nautical mile is not an SI unit, however, by decision of the General Conference on Weights and Measures, its use is allowed, although not recommended. There is no generally accepted notation; sometimes the abbreviations "NM", "nm" or "nmi" (from the English. nautical miles). It should be noted that the abbreviation "nm" coincides with the officially accepted designation of the nanometer.

International nautical mile = 10 cables = 1/3 nautical league

UK nautical mile before transition to the international system (before 1970) = 1853.184 meters.

US nautical mile before the transition to the international system (until 1955) = 1853,248 meters or 6080.20 feet.

Foot(Russian designation: foot; international: ft, as well as ‘ - stroke; from English foot - foot) - a unit of length in English system measures. The exact linear value varies in different countries. In 1958, at a conference English speaking countries participating countries unified their units of length and mass. The received "international" foot began to equal exactly 0.3048 m. It is most often meant by "foot" at the present time.

Inch(Russian designation: inch; international: inch, in or ″ - double stroke; from Dutch duim - thumb) - not metric unit measurements of distance and length in some systems of measures. Currently, an inch usually means the English inch used in the United States (English inch), equal to 25.4mm.

Yard(eng. yard) - British and American units of distance. Now a metric yard is equal to three metric feet ( 36 inches) or 91.44 cm. Not part of the SI system. There are several versions of the origin of the name and size of the yard. A large measure of length, called a yard, was introduced by the English king Edgar (959-975) and was equal to the distance from the tip of His Majesty's nose to the tip of the middle finger of the outstretched hand. As soon as the monarch changed, the yard became different - lengthened, since the new king was of a larger physique than his predecessor. Then, at the next change of king, the yard became shorter again. Such frequent changes in the unit of length caused confusion. According to other versions, the yard is the circumference of the monarch's waist or the length of his sword. King Henry I (1100-1135) legalized in 1101 a permanent yard and ordered to make a standard from elm. This yard is still used in England today (its length is equal to 0.9144 m). The yard was divided into 2, 4, 8 and 16 parts, respectively called half-yard, span, finger and nail.

Line- a unit of distance in Russian, English (English line) and some other systems of measures. The name came to Russian through Polish. linea or German. Line from lat. līnea - linen twine; the strip drawn by this twine. In the English system of measures 1 line ("small") = 1⁄12" = 2.11666666…mm. This unit was rarely used, as the technique used tenths, hundredths, and thousandths ("mils") of an inch. Measurement in biology and typography used this unit, abbreviated as " (outside these areas, the line was denoted as" ', a "was and is used to indicate an inch). In lines (large) the caliber of the weapon is measured.

league(Eng. League) - British and American units of distance.

1 league = 3 miles = 24 furlongs = 4828.032 meters.

The value of the league has long been used in naval battles to determine the distance of a cannon shot. Later it began to be used for land and postal affairs.

Measures of liquid and granular bodies

Main measures:

Barrel(English barrel - barrel) - a measure of the volume of bulk substances and liquids, equal to the "barrel". Used to measure volume in economic calculations and in some countries.

To measure the volume of bulk solids, there was a so-called "English barrel": 1 English barrel = 4.5 bushels = 163.66 liters. IN USA a standard barrel of liquid is equal to 31.5 US gallons, that is: 1 US barrel = 31.5 US gallons = 119.2 liters = 1/2 hogshead.

However, when measuring the volume of beer (due to tax restrictions) in the United States, the so-called standard beer barrel, which is equal to 31 US gallons(117.3 liters).

Also in the United States, a unit called "dry barrel"(dry barrel), which is equal to 105 dry quarts (115.6 liters).

For the most commonly used concept of a barrel in the world (namely, for oil), there is a special measure that is different from all those listed (Barrel of oil).

1 oil barrel = 158.987 liters. International designation: bbls.

Bushel(English bushel) - a unit of volume used in the English system of measures. It is used to measure bulk goods, mainly agricultural, but not for liquids. Abbreviated as bsh. or bu.

In the British imperial system of measures for bulk solids: 1 bushel = 4 pecs = 8 gallons = 32 dry quarts = 64 dry pints = 1.032 US bushels = 2219.36 cubic inches = 36.36872 liters (dm³) = 3 buckets.

In the American system of measures for bulk solids: 1 bushel = 0.9689 English bushel = 35.2393 liters; according to other data: 1 bushel = 35.23907017 liters = 9.309177489 US gallons.

In addition, a bushel is a container for storing and transporting apples. In international trade, a bushel is generally understood to mean an 18 kg box.

Gallon(English gallon) - a measure of volume in the English system of measures, corresponding to from 3.79 to 4.55 liters (depending on the country of use). Usually used for liquids, in rare cases - for solids. The fractional units of the gallon are the pint and the ounce. The US gallon is equal to 3.785411784 liters. A gallon was originally defined as 8 pounds of wheat. Pint is a derivative of the gallon - one eighth I am part of it. Later, other varieties of the gallon were introduced for other products and, accordingly, new varieties of pints appeared. America adopted the British wine gallon, defined in 1707 as 231 cubic inches, as a basic measure of the volume of a liquid. This is where the American liquid pint originated. The British corn gallon was also adopted ( 268.8 cubic inches) as a measure of the volume of bulk solids. This is where the American dry pint came from. In 1824, the British Parliament replaced all versions of the gallon with one imperial gallon, defined as 10 pounds of distilled water at 62°F ( 277.42 cubic inches).

The US gallon and the English gallon are distinguished by:

• US gallon ≈ 3.785 liters;
• English gallon = 4.5461 liters.

In the US, a standard barrel of liquid is 42 US gallons, that is: 1 US barrel = 42 US gallons = 159 liters = 1/2 hogshead. However, when measuring the volume of beer (due to tax restrictions), the United States uses the so-called standard beer barrel, which is equal to 31 US gallons (117.3 liters).

Ounce(Latin uncia) - the name of several units of mass, as well as two measures of the volume of liquid bodies, one unit of force and several monetary units, formed as a twelfth of another unit. The term comes from ancient Rome, where an ounce meant the twelfth of a libra. It was one of the main weight units medieval Europe. Today it is used in precious metals trading - troy ounce, as well as in countries where weight is measured in pounds (for example, the USA). Quart(eng. quart from lat. quartus - a quarter) - a unit of volume used in the USA, Great Britain and other countries to measure bulk or liquid volumes, equal to a quarter of a gallon.

• 1 quart = 2 pints = 1/4 gallon.
• 1 US dry quart = 1.1012209 liters
• 1 US quart for liquids = 0.9463 liters.
• 1 English imperial quart = 1.1365 liters.

Measures of area

Acre(English acre) - a land measure used in a number of countries with the English system of measures (for example, in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and others). It originally denoted the area of ​​land cultivated per day by one peasant with one ox.

1 acre = 4 ore = 4046.86 m² ≈ 0.004 km² (1/250 km²) = 4840 square yards = 888.97 square fathoms = 0.37 acres = 0.405 ha = 40.46856 ar = 1/30 land yards = 1 /640 square miles

Township(eng. township - village, town) - an American unit of land area, which is a piece of land the size of 6×6 miles = 36 square meters mile = 93.24 sq. km.

hyde(eng. hide - plot, allotment of land) - an old English land measure, originally equal to land, which could feed one family, is 80-120 acres or 32.4-48.6 hectares.

Rud(English rood - a piece of land) - land measure = 40 sq. genus = 1011.68 sq. m.

Ar(eng. are from lat. area - area, surface, agricultural land) - a land measure in the Anglo-American and metric systems of measures, is a piece of land measuring 10x10 m and equals 100 sq. m or 0.01 hectares, in everyday life is called "hundred".

Cubic measures of volume

Ton(English ton (ne), ton, tun from French tonne - a large wooden barrel) - a unit of measurement for various purposes. Before the adoption of the metric system, the ton measure was widely used in Europe and America as a measure of the capacity of bulk and liquids, a measure of weight and a land measure. In the Anglo-American system of measures, a ton is:

1. Measure of cubic volume

• Registered ton(register) - unit of measure for the capacity of merchant ships = 100 cu. ft = 2.83 cu. m.
• Freight ton(freight) - unit of measurement of the ship's cargo - 40 cu. ft = 1.13 cu. m.

2. Measure trade weight

• Ton big(gross, long) = 2240 pounds = 1016 kg.
• Small ton(net, short) = 2000 pounds = 907.18 kg.
• Ton Metric defined in 1000 kg or 2204.6 pounds.

3. An old English measure of the capacity of liquids(tun) (mainly for wine and beer) = 252 gallons = 1145.59 liters.

Standard(English standard - norm) - a measure of the volume of lumber \u003d 165 cu. feet = 4.672 cu. m.

Cord(eng. cord from fr. corde - rope) - a measure of the volume of firewood and round wood. Big(gross) cord is equal to a stack of firewood 4x4x8 ft = 128 cu. ft = 3.624 cu. m. Small cord (short) for round timber = 126 cu. ft = 3.568 cu. m.

Stack(eng. stack - a pile, a pile) - an English measure of the volume of coal and firewood = 108 cu. ft = 3.04 cu. m.

Loud(eng. load - load, heaviness) - a measure of the volume of wood, equal to roundwood 40 cu. feet or 1.12 cu. m; for lumber - 50 cu. feet or 1,416 cu. m.

Measures rarely used in everyday life

barlycorn(English barleycorn - barley grain) length of barley grain = 1/3 inch = 8.47 mm.

Mil(eng. mil, short for mille - thousandth) - a unit of distance in the English system of measures, equal to 1⁄1000 in.. Used in electronics, and to measure the diameter of thin wires, gaps or the thickness of thin sheets. Also referred to as th.

1 mil = 1⁄1000 inch = 0.0254 mm = 25.4 micrometers

Hand(hand; English hand - “hand”) - a unit of length in the English system of measures. Used to measure the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was originally based on the breadth of the human hand. In English-speaking countries, abbreviations of this unit of measure to "h" or "hh" are common.

hand = 4 inches = 10.16 cm.

chain(ch) (English chain - chain) - an obsolete British and American unit for measuring distance, equal to 20.1168 meters.

1 chain = 100 links = 1⁄10 furlongs = 4 rods = 66 feet = 20.1168 meters

Furlong(OE furh - furrow, track, and OE long - long) - British and American unit of distance.

1 furlong = ⅛ miles = 10 chains = 220 yards = 40 rods = 660 feet = 1000 links = 201.16 m.

5 furlongs are approximately equal to 1.0058 km.

Currently, the furlong is used as a unit of measure for distance at horse races in the UK, Ireland and the USA.

Hand(English hand - hand) - a measure of length, initially equal to the width of the palm, is 4 inches or 10.16 cm. Usually, the height of horses is measured with the palm of your hand.

Fathom(fathom) (English fathom from Anglo-Saxon fǽthm from German faden - grasp) - a measure of length, originally equal to the distance between the ends of the fingers of outstretched hands and is 6 feet or 1.83 m. This measure is used mainly in the marine business to determine the depth of the water and in mountain (mine) measurements.

El(eng. ell from swed. aln - elbow) - an old English measure of length, possibly originally equal to the length whole hand, contains 45 inches or 1.14 m used to measure tissues.
qubit(eng. cubit from lat. cubitus - elbow) - an old English measure of length, originally equal to the distance from the elbow to the end of the middle finger of the outstretched hand, contains from 18 before 22 inches or 46-56 cm.

Span(English span) - a measure of length, initially equal to the distance between the ends of the thumb and little finger, stretched in the plane of the hand, is 9 inches or 22.86 cm.

Link(English link - chain link) - a measure of length used in geodesic and construction work: 1 link geodetic = 7.92 inches = 20.12 cm; 1 building link = 1 foot = 30.48 cm.

Finger(eng. finger - finger) - a measure of length equal to the length of the middle finger, contains 4.5 inches or 11.43 cm. To determine the depth of water, a measure equal to the width of a finger is used, contains 3/4 inch or 1.91 cm.

Neil(English nail - needle) - an old measure of length for fabrics, equal to 2 1/4 inches or 5.71 cm.

Cable(eng. cable’s length from gol. kabeltouw - marine rope) - a marine measure of length, originally equal to the length of the anchor rope. In international maritime practice, cables are 0.1 nautical mile and is equal to 185.2 m. IN England 1 cable contains 680 feet and equals 183 m. IN USA 1 cable contains 720 feet and equals 219.5 m.

When I was in America, one of the difficulties for me was an unusual system of measures. Of course, I knew that in the USA, as in Great Britain, they use not the usual meters, liters, kilograms, but incomprehensible feet, inches, gallons. But I underestimated how often Everyday life we are dealing with units of measurement. In this article, I will provide the most important practical information about units of measurement.

Most important, because complete information is of little use. In the English system of measures, there are many units that are mentioned in the literature, documents, but are practically not found in everyday life. You can read more about waves, centrals, slugs, hands on Wikipedia. Here I wrote about what is useful in life, this is not an encyclopedic article, but a practical guide.

What is the English system of measures?

The world uses the English (imperial) system of measures (Imperial system) and metric (metric system).

The English system of measures is used in the UK (since 1995, the metric system has been used as the official one), the USA, Myanmar and Liberia. These four countries speak the language of inches and pounds. The rest of the world is in the language of meters and kilograms. Do not be fooled by the fact that in American films in Russian translation, the characters speak in meters and liters - in the cinema, units of measurement are usually converted for ease of perception (in books they are often left).

The most noticeable difference in the English system is that in it units of measurement, for example, weight, do not correlate with each other as millimeters, centimeters, meters and kilometers, that is, 1 to 100 or 1000. For example, 1 pound \u003d 16 ounces, but 1 ton = 2000 pounds. This has historically been the case, and this difference is often emphasized in various jokes about the English system.

Units of length: inches, feet, yards, miles - how much is it in (centi-) meters?

A person's height is measured in feet and inches. For example, when they say “he is six and five”, they mean that “he is six feet, five inches tall” (195 cm). Inches, feet and yards are used when talking about the size of different objects. When people talk about distance, they use miles.

Note: the word foot forms non-standard: 1 foot - 10 feet.

Measures of weight: ounces, pounds, stone and tons - how much to hang in grams?

Measures of weight are used in stores when weighing. On the price tags, they also usually write the price per pound, as in our stores the price per kilogram. Body weight is measured in pounds (US) or pounds and stone (UK).

Also, problems will arise if you come to the gym in America: the weights will be signed in pounds. In Russia, in some fitness clubs, you can also see simulators with unusual weights: 22.5 kg - 36 kg - 45.5 kg. And it's written on sticky notes. This is the result of “Russification” of foreign equipment.

Note: Please note that pound is abbreviated as lb - from the Latin libra - scales.

Measures of liquids: a pint of beer - how much is it in liters?

Measures of liquids are found on the packaging of goods: water, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks (degrees, by the way, are indicated in the same way as we do). Gasoline at gas stations is considered gallons.

Unit in English	Unit in Russian	Unit ratio	in liters
Teaspoon	Tea spoon	1/3 tablespoon	4.9 ml
tablespoon	Tablespoon	1/2 oz	14.78 ml
Fluid Ounces (fl oz)	Fluid ounce	2 tablespoons	29.37 ml
Cup (cp)	Cup (American glass)	8 fl oz	0.23 l
Pint (pt)	Pint (American liquid pint)	2 cups	0.47 l
Quart(qt)	Quart	2 pints	0.94 l
Gallon(gl)	Gallon	4 quarts	3.78 l
Barrell (br)	Barrel	31.5 gallons	117.3 l

On product labels, ounces (oz) and gallons (gl) are most often found. For example, beer in small bottles is usually 12 ounces (29.5 ml), in large bottles - 40 ounces (1182.9 ml). "Coca-Cola" in cans - 7.5 (198 ml) or 12 ounces (29.5 ml). Milk is usually sold in 1 gallon (3.78 l) bottles. Cups, teaspoons and tablespoons are used in cooking recipes.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the barrel (barrel in English. “barrel”). There are several varieties of barrel. The table shows the American barrel for liquids(fluid barrel), equal to 31.5 gallons or 117.3 liters. The barrel we hear about on the news is oil barrel, a unit of measure for the volume of oil (oil barrel, abbr.: bbl), it is equal to 42 gallons or 158.988 liters.

Measures of bulk solids: "dry" gallons, pints, pitches, bushels

Units of measure for bulk solids are not often seen in everyday life, but I also decided to mention them, because you need to know that there are “dry” pints, quarts, gallons, and “liquid”. Most of these measures are used in agriculture.

Loose bodies include not only cereals, sugar, but also berries and fruits. Grapes or apples in agriculture may well be measured (and sold) in dry pints, quarts, or even pitches, bushels, if we are talking about a large volume.

Before all words except peck and bushel, you can add “dry” if you need to clarify that we are talking about “dry” pints, gallons, etc. Peck and bushel cannot be “dry”.

Fahrenheit temperature

In the UK, the temperature is measured in Celsius, as we have, and in the USA - in Fahrenheit. When I arrived in the US, at first I was not told anything by these “80 degrees” in the weather forecast or conversation.

There is an “easy” way to convert temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice versa:

• Fahrenheit - Celsius: subtract 32 from the original number, multiply by 5, divide by 9.
• Celsius - Fahrenheit: multiply the original number by 9, divide by 5, add 32.

Of course, I never used it, but over time I got used to the fact that 70 is warm, 80 is hot, and more than 90 is infernal heat. For purely practical purposes, I have compiled a table for you to visually explain the temperature in Fahrenheit.

Note: in the epigraph of R. Bradbury's novel "451 degrees Fahrenheit" it is said that at a temperature of 451 degrees Fahrenheit, paper lights up. This is a mistake, in fact the paper catches fire at a temperature of about 450 degrees Celsius.

Speed ​​in miles per hour

If you drive a car, you will have to get used to not only the distance in miles, but also the speed in miles per hour. Converting miles per hour to kilometers per hour is much easier than Fahrenheit to Celsius: you just need to multiply the speed in miles per hour by 1.609344. If roughly, then just multiply by one and a half times.

In this table, I have included a comparison of speeds so that you can get an idea of ​​what speed is in miles per hour.

Household units of measurement: a box of chocolates, a box of flour, a glass of water, etc.

In addition to these official units of measurement, “household” measures are actively used in colloquial speech: a can of beer, a bottle of water, a box of tangerines, a piece of sausage, etc. Here are some of these words. Please note that sometimes they are used in a figurative sense (a grain of truth - a grain of truth, a grain of truth).

• a bar of
  • chocolate - chocolate bar
  • soap - a piece of soap
  • gold - an ingot of gold
• a box of
  • cereal - box of cereal
  • chocolat (chocolates) - a box of chocolates

• a pile of
  • paper - a bunch of papers
  • trash - a pile of garbage
• a glass of
  • water, wine etc - a glass of wine, water, etc.
• a drop of
  • oil, blood, water - a drop of oil, blood, water, etc.
• a piece of
  • cake - a piece of cake
  • furniture - a piece of furniture
  • advice - advice (singular)
  • luggage - a piece of luggage (e.g. one suitcase)
• a carton of
  • ice cream - packaging (box) of ice cream
  • milk - a carton of milk
  • juice - juice box
  • cigarettes - block of cigarettes
• a crate of
  • oysters - a box of shrimp
  • coconuts - box of coconuts
• a bowl of
  • cereal - a cup of cereal
  • rice - a cup of rice
  • soup - a cup of soup
• a grain of
  • rice - a grain of rice (one rice)
  • sand - a grain of sand
  • truth - grain of truth
• a bottle of
  • water - water
  • wine - wine
• a slice of
  • bread - a piece of bread
  • meat - a piece of meat
  • cheese - a piece of cheese
• a bag of
  • sugar - a bag of sugar
  • flour - bag of flour
• a pack of
  • cigarettes - pack of cigarettes
  • cards - deck of cards (UK), deck\set of cards - US
• a roll of
  • tape - film roll
  • toilet paper - a roll of toilet paper
• a handful of
  • dust - a handful of dust
  • salt - a handful of salt
• a pinch of
  • salt - a pinch of salt
  • pepper - a pinch of pepper

Notes:

• Disposable plastic cups are foam cups, not foam glasses, or usually just cups. Foam glass is foam glass (stoymaterial).
• Packages in stores are bags, not packs.
• Box- this is usually a small cardboard box (a box of cereal, candy), crate– a crate (e.g. a wooden crate with fruit).
• Slice is a piece cut with a knife.
• Cup- This is a cup for drinks (tea, coffee), and bowl- a cup for food.
• Advice is an uncountable noun, like information or knowledge. When talking about a single piece of advice, the expression “a piece of advice” is used.

Is it difficult to get used to English units of measurement?

When I arrived in the US on the program, I already spoke pretty good English. I had no problems when I talked with the employer - he was even surprised by my knowledge of the language. But when I had a physical, the doctor asked me three simple questions, and I couldn't answer any of them. She asked me my height, weight and eye color. And then I realized that I have no idea what my height and weight are according to the American system. As for the eyes (brown), I wanted to say that hazel, but I doubted - and not in vain, brown eyes (in my case) are English brown, and hazel eyes are light brown, closer to green.

This is what hazel eyes look like

Later it turned out that we encounter measures of measurement at every step. Before, I just never paid attention to it. At first, I tried to roughly translate American units into ours in my mind: I counted a pound as a pound, and a mile as a kilometer and a half. As for the temperature, I remembered that 80 degrees is hot, and 100 is hellish heat (this happens in New Orleans).

This approach is suitable if you are in the US for a few days, but if you live there for a long time, work, communicate with local residents, then it is better not to suffer with conversion, but just get used to counting apples in pounds, distance in miles, and height in feet and inches . The fastest “internal converter” is turned off in the most important thing - the currency.

Each country has its own systems of measures of length, weights, volume and other things. And if the kilograms we are accustomed to turn into outlandish pounds, and kilometers into miles, then we begin to get confused in the calculations. Understanding all this is not difficult. Especially if you use the acquired knowledge in practice.

Today we’ll talk about what English measures of length and weight are, how many ounces are in a pound, what a pint is, what a stone is, and also how to use other common English measures correctly.

Units of measurement or measures of measurement are different for each country. Somewhere ounces are common, somewhere it is customary to show the weather in degrees Fahrenheit, and not Celsius. To immerse yourself in a foreign culture and better understand native speakers, you need to know how English measures of measurement differ from Russian ones and how to correctly translate them into indicators we are used to.

For example, knowing the English measure of weight will help you quickly navigategrocery store or market as well.But the English unit of length will come in handy when you need to evaluate someone's height or talk about your own, as well as determine the distance to the right place. Well, do not forget about the English unit of mass, which is useful for larger calculations.

Measures of weight

Most often, ounces and pounds are used to measure the weight of products (weight measure, or units of mass). 1 ounce equals approximately 30 grams. A pound contains 16 ounces and is equal to 450 and a few grams or almost half a kilogram. There is also such a measure of weight as a stone. It is equal to 14 pounds or 6.3 kg.

• Ounce (ounce) = 28.35 g
• Pound (pound) = 453.6 g (16 oz)
• Stone (stone) = 6.35 kg (14 pounds)

You may also come across such measures as the short ton (short ton), which is used in the USA and is equal to 907.18 kg, and the long ton (long ton), which is equal to 1016 kg and is typical for the UK.

Pounds can easily be converted to kilograms by dividing the number in half. The value, of course, will be approximate, but it will be easy to calculate. So, for example, 30 pounds is a little less than 15 kg. But if someone tells you that he lost a dozen pounds, then this means that he lost almost 5 kilos.

Oz is the designation for an ounce, which is quite logical. But the abbreviation for the pound, which can be found in stores, is lb. This is explained by the fact that the word pound comes from a combination of the Latin words libra (scales) and pondo (weight). Over time, the phrase was transformed into pound, but the abbreviated version lb remained in use.

By the way, going to the store or to the market for groceries, you may come across such an unusual measure as dozen or dozen. This means 12 pieces of some thing. For example, you can ask to weigh half a dozen (half a dozen of) pears, and the seller will count you 6 pieces.

Measures of liquids and granular bodies

As in the case of weight, liquid measures (or units of capacity) may at first glance be unusual for Russian-speaking people.

In addition to the generally accepted liters and milliliters, there is a fluid ounce (fluid ounce), which is equal to 28.4 ml. For example, according to popular belief, a person needs to drink 2 liters of water per day. There are approximately 35 fluid ounces in one liter. This means that 2 liters of water in ounces will be equal to 70.

By the way, in stores abroad or on perfume labels, you probably met such a designation as fl.oz. This is short for the aforementioned fluid ounce.

Another popular measure of liquid is the pint. Moreover, in the UK and the USA it has different meaning. In the USA, a pint is equal to 0.473 liters, and in England - 0.57 liters. Even glasses for foamy drinks in the UK are “sharpened” for a local pint. There is also a quart (quarta), which is equal in volume to two pints. So if someone says that he drank a quart of beer, it means that he emptied two pints.

As for the barrel (barrel) and gallon (gallon), their values ​​are also different in the US (US) and the UK (GB). A British gallon is slightly less than a liter larger than an American gallon, but the difference in barrels is already almost 45 liters. The barrel itself, in turn, can still be simple and "oil", which also differs from the generally accepted meaning. It is about oil barrels and their cost that we constantly hear in the news.

• Gallon (gallon) = 4.546 L (GB) / 3.784 L (US)
• Barrel (barrel) = 163.65 liters (GB) / 119.2 liters (US)
• Barrel (oil) = 158.988 liters

Dry and bulk solids can be measured in the following units:

• Quart (quart) \u003d 1.136 l
• Peck (peck) \u003d 9.09 l
• Bushel (bushel) \u003d 36.37 l

Linear measures

The English system of measures of length (linear measure, units of length) is based on inches, feet, yards and miles. Their values ​​are specified in the British Imperial System of Measurement (British Imperial System of Measurement) and are used both in the UK and in the USA and in other countries. Let's figure out what's what.

Inch (inch) - one of those measures that in real life are more likely to meet you than others. One inch equals 2.5 centimeters. It is quite easy to translate this measure into our usual one - just multiply the value in inches by 2.5. So, 10 inches will be equal to 25 centimeters, 50 - 125 cm and so on.

Foot (foot) - a popular measure of measurement, which is equal to 12 inches (approximately 30 cm). As you probably guessed from the name, this measure used to be equal to the length of a man's foot, and you could measure the length with steps or your feet. By the way, there is also such a measure as a hand (hand), equal to 4 inches or 10 centimeters. How it is measured, you probably already guessed.

There is also a yard (yard), which is equal to 3 feet or almost 1 meter (0.91 m). Converting yards to meters is also quite easy. If you do not get hung up on errors, but look at the approximate distance, then the yards will be equal to our meters.

As for the mile, in which all distances between points on the map are measured, it is equal to 1.609 km. By the way, a nautical mile is different from a land mile and is equal to 1.853 km. To convert the value in miles to the usual kilometers approximately - multiply the number in miles by 1.5.

• Inch (inch) = 25.4 mm (2.54 cm)
• Foot (foot) = 0.3048 m (12 inches)
• Hand (hand) = 10.16 cm (4 inches)
• Yard (yard) \u003d 0.9144 m (3 feet)
• Furlong = 201 m (220 yards)
• Mile (mile) = 1.609 km (8 furlongs)

This is not to say that we do not use English measures of measurement at all. So, inches are well known to us from the sizes of TV screens and other devices: you need to multiply the value in inches by 2.5 and you get the length in centimeters. But we are accustomed to this designation and have difficulty perceiving the screen diagonal in centimeters and meters.

Measures of area

Since we are talking about distances, let's take a look at the English measures of area (square measure, units of area).

Everything is pretty logical here. Where we have square centimeters - in England and the USA square inches are used. Where square meters are square feet and so on. They are also considered by analogy: inch by inch and pound by pound are multiplied.

The same goes for yards and miles.

• Square inch (square inch) = 6.45 cm²
• Square foot = 929 cm²
• Square yard (square yard) \u003d 0.836 m²
• Square mile (square mile) = 2.59 km²

In the English system of measurement, there is another measure that is often used to indicate the area of ​​\u200b\u200bland. This is an acre. It equals 0.405 hectares or 4046.86 m². So, in two hectares of land there will be almost five acres. This concept is often used in agriculture and news. For example, when it is said that farmers harvested 50 acres of wheat this year, this means that 20 hectares or a little more than 200,000 square meters of land were sown with grain.

Measures of volume

According to the measurement system, volume (cubic measure) in English-speaking countries is also measured using inches, pounds and yards. In order to measure the volume - you need to multiply three values: length, width and height.

• Cubic inch = 16.39 cm³
• Cubic foot = 0.028 m³
• Cubic yard = 0.76 m³

Abbreviations of measures in English

We have already mentioned above how this or that measure of measurement will be indicated in an abbreviated form. Here's how other popular measures are shortened to one or two letters:

• centimeter - cm
• meter - meter - m
• inch - inch - in
• foot - foot - ft
• yard - yard - yd
• furlong - furlong - fur
• mile - mile - m
• kilometre-kilometer

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  Despite the fact that the metric, decimal system of measures and weights has long been adopted in continental Europe, we constantly encounter English and American units for measuring length, area, volume and weight. The most common among them are inch, foot, yard, mile, acre, pound, pint, barrel.

  Many, I am sure, have seen a mysterious inscription on bottles with various liquids. fl. oz. In England and the USA, there are many other, less well-known units of measurement for us.

  Most often, we use these units of measurement when we talk about such common things as the size of a car tire, a TV screen. The size is usually already indicated in inches right in the model name. The same is true with the diameter of metal and plastic pipes, the size of wrenches and the bolts and nuts themselves. The mileage of American cars is indicated in miles. Calling the cost of oil, they say: "price per barrel", and the weight of gold is often called in ounces. Some cookbooks also list weights in pounds and volumes in ounces or quarts.

  And what does the inscription lb or lbs mean in American stores? Read about it at the bottom of the page.

  And one more small note: do not try to remember all this, for this purpose reference books were invented so as not to overload memory with routine. So take a look!

  It remains only to wish you seven feet under the keel and go directly to the table!

  Listen

  TABLE OF MEASURES AND WEIGHTS - WEIGHT AND MEASURES TABLE
  UNIT	UNIT MEASUREMENTS	ABBREVIATION OR SYMBOL	EQUIVALENTS OF SAME SYSTEM	METRIC EQUIVALENT
  		ABBREVIATION OR SYMBOL	EQUIVALENTS IN THE SAME SYSTEM	METRIC EQUIVALENT
  WEIGHT
  Avoirdupois* - Avoirdupois
  short tone	short ton		20 short hundredweight, 2000 pounds	0.907metric ton
  long tone	long ton		20 long hundredweight, 2240 pounds	1.016 metric ton
  hundredweight	English centner (see long centner)	cwt	112 pound, 0.05 long ton	50.802 kilograms
  short hundredweight	short (American) centner		100 pounds, 0.05 short tons	45.359 kilograms
  long hundredweight	long (English) centner		112 pound, 0.05 long ton	50.802 kilograms
  pounds	lb.	lb** or lb avdp, also # (mostly USA)	16 ounces, 7000 grains	0.454 kg
  ounce	ounce	oz or oz avdp	16 drams, 437.5 grains, 0.0625 pounds	28.350 grams
  dram	drachma	dr or dr avdp	27.344 grains, 0.0625 ounce	1.772 grams
  grain	share	gr	0.037 dram, 0.002286 ounce	0.0648 grams
  Troy - Troy system
  pounds	lb.	lbt	12 ounces, 240 pennyweight, 5760 grains	0.373 kg
  ounce	ounce	oz t	20 pennyweight, 480 grains, 0.083 pounds	31.103 grams
  pennyweight	pennyweight	dwt also pwt	24 grains, 0.05 ounce	1.555 grams
  grain	share	gr	0.042 pennyweight, 0.002083 ounce	0.0648 grams
  Apothecaries" - Apothecary system
  pounds	lb.	lb ap	12 ounces, 5760 grains	0.373 kg
  ounce	ounce	oz ap	8 drams, 480 grains, 0.083 pounds	31.103 grams
  dram	drachma	Drap	3 scruples, 60 grains	3.888 grams
  scruple	scruple	s ap	20 grains, 0.333 dram	1.296 grams
  grain	share	gr	0.05 scruple, 0.002083 ounce, 0.0166 dram	0.0648 grams
  CAPACITY - CAPACITY
  U.S. liquid measures - US liquid measures
  barrel	barrel	bbl	42 gallons	159 liters
  gallons	gallon	gal	4 quarts (231 cubic inches)	3.785 liters
  quart	quart	qt	2 pints (57.75 cubic inches)	0.946 liters
  pint	pint	pt	4 gills (28.875 cubic inches)	473.176 milliliters
  gill	jill	gi	4 fluid ounces (7.219 cubic inches)	118.294 milliliters
  fluid ounce	fluid ounce	fl oz	8 fluid drams (1.805) cub inches)	29.573 milliliters
  fluid drum	liquid drachma	fl dr	60 minims (0.226 cubic inches)	3.697 milliliters
  minimum	minimum, 1/60 drachma	min	1/60 fluid dram (0.003760 cubic inch)	0.061610 milliliter
  U.S. dry measures - Dry matter measurement units. USA
  bushel	bushel	bu	4 pecks (2150.42 cubic inches)	35.239 liters
  peck	pitch	pk	8 quarts (537.605 cubic inches)	8.810 liters
  quart	quart	qt	2 pints (67.201 cubic inches)	1.101 liters
  pint	pint	pt	0.5 quart (33.600 cubic inches)	0.551 liters
  British imperial liquid and dry measures - Units for measuring liquids and dry substances. England
  bushel	bushel	bu	4 pecks (2219.36 cubic inches)	36.369 liters
  peck	peck, 2 gallons	pk	2 gallons (554.84 cubic inches)	9.092 liters
  gallons	gallon	gal	4 quarts (277.420 cubic inches)	4.546 liters
  quart	quart	qt	2 pints (69.355 cubic inches)	1.136 liters
  pint	pint	pt	4 gills (34.678 cubic inches)	568.26 milliliters
  gill	Gil	gi	5 fluid ounces (8.669 cubic inches)	142.066 milliliters
  fluid ounce	fluid ounce	fl oz	8 fluid drams (1.7339 cubic inches)	28.412 milliliters
  fluid drum	liquid drachma	fl dr	60 minims (0.216734 cubic inches)	3.5516 milliliters
  minimum	minimum, 1/60 drachma	min	1/60 fluid dram (0.003612 cubic inch)	0.059194 milliliter
  LENGTH - LENGTH
  miles	mile	mi	5280 feet, 1760 yards, 320 rods	1.609 miles
  rod	genus	rd	5.50 yards, 16.5 feet	5.029 meters
  yard	yard	yd	3 feet, 36 inches	0.9144 meters
  foot	foot	ft or "	12 inches, 0.333 yard	30.48 centimeters
  inch	inch	in or "	0.083 foot, 0.028 yard	2.54 centimeters
  AREA
  square mile	square mile	sq mi or mi 2	640 acres, 102,400 square rods	2,590 square kilometers
  acre	acre		4840 square yards, 43,560 square feet	0.405 hectare, 4047 square meters
  square rod	square rod	sqrd or rd 2	30.25 square yards, 0.00625 acre	25.293 square meters
  square yard	square yard	sq yd or yd 2	1296 square inches, 9 square feet	0.836 square meters
  square foot	square foot	sq ft or ft2	144 square inches, 0.111 square yards	0.093 square meters
  square inch	square inch	sq in or in 2	0.0069 square foot, 0.00077 square yard	6.452 square centimeters
  VOLUME**
  cubic yard	cubic yard	cu yd or yd 3	27 cubic feet, 46,656 cubic inches	0.765 cubic meters
  cubic feet	cubic foot	cuft or ft 3	1728 cubic inches, 0.0370 cubic yard	0.028 cubic meters
  cubic inch	cubic inch	cu in or in 3	0.00058 cubic foot, 0.000021 cubic yard	16.387 cubic centimeters
  *In the USA, the Avoirdupois system is used to measure weight. **In US stores, you will often see the abbreviation lbs instead of lb for the pound. This is just a misguided attempt to denote the plural. **Capacity and volume are essentially the same thing, but since different units are used to measure dry and liquid substances, the universal units of volume have been moved to a separate section of the table.

  Word pound - pound comes from latin libra pondo. First word libra means "scales" - actually a device for measuring weight and an astrological sign, since the constellation looks like scales. Second - pondo- just weight. Accordingly, all combinations libra pondo means "weight pound" (or, if you prefer, "weight pound"). In modern English language"libra pondo" was modified and shortened to "pound", but the abbreviation remained from the Latin libra-lb.

  Often in stores in English-speaking countries you can see the abbreviation pounds to denote pounds, which, strictly speaking, is a mistake, because according to the international convention, the pound is a unit of measurement, and abbreviations for units of measurement in English do not have plural, also, by the way, as in Russian. We don't write Kgy or KWe.