On 10/04/2011 07:46 AM, Tom Furie wrote:
On Sun, Oct 02, 2011 at 03:55:45PM -0400, Doug wrote:The liquid measure is liter, used here only in medical labs and liquor stores, altho some bottled products have both ounces and liters, so as to placate the Canadians, who gave up ounces and quarts, etc., some years ago. (Some year, no doubt after I'm dead, "altho" will be acceptable.)Since you mention ounces, quarts, etc. Am I right in thinking that in the US a pint is 16fl.oz? Here, in Britain, a pint is 20fl.oz. Is your pint smaller, or your fl.oz larger? Or do you have different measures of the same name depending on the fluid being measured? Cheers, Tom
The US pint is 16 ounces, and the US quart and gallon are based on that. 32 oz. = 1 qt; 4 qts. = 1 gal. That's why the British gallon is 5 US quarts, or 4 British quarts. The ounce is the same size, or almost. (As wiki says, research is needed.) I'm not really sure of the history, but I *think* that all pints were once 16 ounces, thus the expression, "A pint's a pound, the world around." Therefore, it would seem that the US, being the colony, kept on using the old measure, while the mother country modified it. (Since the Brits like their "pint" of ale, it is logical that they would take steps to get more ounces in their pint!) The fluid ounce is not exactly 1 avoirdupois ounce, but it must be close, because of that saying. Also, one US gallon of water weighs just about 8 pounds. Note that a fluid ounce could not universally equal one ounce weight, since different fluids with different densities weigh differently at the same volume. One gallon of gasoline is about 6 pounds. --doug -- Blessed are the peacemakers...for they shall be shot at from both sides. --A. M. Greeley