A metric user's guide to imperial measurements

[Duke87 1,070]

While many of us here are from the US or the UK where imperial is most recognized, there are those of us that may be from strictly metric parts of the world, may not be familiar at all with this system, and thus not understand someone when they use imperial measurements in a post.

If that's the case, using his as a reference and doing a little aritmatic will get things into units you understand. Now then:

Imperial Length:

1 foot (ft)=12 inches (in)

1 yard(yd)=3 feet

1 mile (mi)=1760 yards=5280 feet

Imperial to Metric Length Conversions:

1 inch=2.54 centimeters

1 foot=0.3048 meters

1 yard=0.9144 meters

1 mile=1.609 kilometers

Imperial Liquid Volume:

1 tablespoon (tblsp)=3 teaspoons (tsp)

1 fluid ounce (fl oz)=2 tabelspoons

1 cup=8 fluid ounces

1 pint (pt)=2 cups

1 quart (qt)=2 pints

1 gallon (gal)= 4 quarts

1 barrel (bbl)=32 gallons

Imperial to Metric Liquid Volume Conversions:

1 teaspoon=4.927 miiliters

1 tablespoon=14.7813 mililiters

1 fluid ounce=29.5625 mililiters

1 cup=236.5 mililiters

1 pint=473 mililiters

1 quart=0.946 liters

1 gallon=3.785 liters

1 barrel=121.12 liters

Imperial Weight:

1 pound (lb)=16 ounces (oz)

1 ton (T)=2000 pounds

Imperial Weight to Metric Mass Conversions:

1 ounce=28.35 grams

1 pound=0.4536 kilograms

1 ton=907.18 kilograms

Converting Temperature:

For Celcius, take a Farenheit temperature, subtract 32, then multiply by 9/5

Other Stuff:

1 acre=43560 square feet=4046.86 square meters

1 fathom=6 feet=1.8288 meters

1 nautical mile=6086 feet=1.8546 kilometers

1 knot=1 nautical mile per hour=1.85462 kilometers per hour

1 league=3 nautical miles=5.5639 kilometers

Notes:

-The Imperial system is riddled with lots of obselete units which are no longer used and which most Americans and British don't even know about. Those are not included here, since you aren't likely to hear somone use them ever.

-since the Imperial system predates anyone knowing what mass was, we just use the units of weight for that. As such, the conversions given only work for objects on Earth

-the system also predates knowledge of things like electricity, so we have no unit equivalent of things like Volts, Watts, etc. and just use the metric units.

[zeke12 49]

This is a good guide, but I have something to add:

Convert!

I have no idea how I found that little program, but it's very useful for converting just about anything. Distance, temperature, pressure, light, computer units, and everything else. It's free, and I use it all the time.

[choco1 4]

Nice idea Duke.

Here is an even better, online, converter:

Online Metric/Imperial Converter

Persionally I find the metric system to be out-dated.  I guess the system that made the least sense was the Imperial Money way of counting that britian used to have, with random numbers of one thing to the other and such.  But I think they use the decimal money system there now.

I live in Australia, and we use the metric system, and I am familiar with feet, as that occasionally comes up, basically 3 foot to a metre is how I do it (although I realise thats not exactly it)

Choco

[Compromise 1]

Well I have always been a little confused by the imperial measurement system. Thanks for making this Duke.