Units of Measurement Flashcards
ampere
A measure of electrical current.
Avogadro’s number
A unit of relative quantity equal to the number of atoms or molecules per mole of a substance. The current accepted value is 6.0221415 x 10^23 per mole.
avoirdupois
Fancy name for the weight scale based on a pound containing 16 ounces.
baker’s dozen
13 units (one more than a ordinary dozen).
barrel
A measure of liquid volume equal in the United States to 31.5 gallons; it’s also half a hogshead and one-quarter of a butt.
Beaufort
A scale that measures wind speed; also used for measuring hurricanes.
bit
The smallest unit of information used in computer engineering, equal to one-eighth of a byte.
bolt
A large roll of cloth.
bucket
2 pecks or 16 quarts (dry measure).
bushel
2 buckets or 4 pecks (dry measure).
butt
2 hogsheads or 4 barrels - i.e., 126 gallons (liquid measure).
byte
A unit of information used in computer engineering, equal to 8 bits.
caliber
A measure of the diameter of a bullet or shell.
carat
A jeweler’s measure of weight (for diamonds) or purity (for gold).
Celsius
A temperature scale, also called centigrade, that places the freezing point of water at 0 degrees and the boiling point at 100 degrees.
coulomb
A measure of electric charge.
cord
A quantity of logs measuring 128 cubic feet.
cubit
An ancient unit of length equal to about 18 inches.
curie
A unit of radioactivity.
decibel
A customary logarithmic measure most commonly used for measuring sound.
dram
One sixteenth of an ounce.
elite
A unit of type measurement.
Farenheit
A temperature scale that places the freezing point of water at 32 degrees and the boiling point at 212 degrees.
fathom
A measure of water depth equal to 6 feet.
flagon
A traditional unit of liquid measurement equal to a gallon.
furlong
Unit of distance equal to 220 yards or one-eighth of a mile .
gill
4 ounces (liquid measure).
grain
One seven-thousandth of a pound.
hectare
A unit of land measurement equal to 2.47 acres.
hertz
Measure of frequency.
hogshead
2 barrels or one-half of a butt - i.e., 63 gallons (liquid measure).
joule
A quantity of energy.
Kelvin
A temperature scale that sets absolute zero (the freezing point of all matter) at 0 degrees; its degrees are equivalent to degrees Celsius +273.
knot
A measure of speed on the sea.
league
A unit of distance, used nautically, equaling 3 miles or 4.8 kilometers.
ohm
A measure of electrical resistance.
peck
8 quarts or one-quarter of a bushel (dry measure).
pH
A scale that measures whether a substance is an acid or a base. It goes from 0 to 14: 0 is an acid, 14 is a base, and 7 is neutral.
pica
A unit of type measurement.
quintal
A unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms.
Richter
A logarithmic scale that measure tremors, earthquakes, and the like.
rod
16.5 feet or 5.5 yards.
Saffir-Simpson
A scale that measures the intensity (called a category) of an earthquake.
score
A traditional unit of quantity equal to 20.
stone
A unit of weight equal to 14 pounds or 6.4 kilograms.
troy
A weight scale in which, unlike the more common avoirdupois scale, a pound contains only 12 ounces.
volt
A unit of electrical output.
watt
A measurement of power.
