Here are 7 systems of measurement for things like time,
distance and money.
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1. TIME
1000 milliseconds = 1 second (sec)
60 seconds = 1 minute (min)
60 minutes = 1 hour (hr)
24 hours = 1 day
7 days = 1 week (wk)
28, 30 or 31 days = 1 month (mth)
12 months = 1 year (yr)
365 days = 1 year
BUT every 4th year = 366 days (a leap year)
Also note:
52 weeks = 1 year (approximately)
People often use the following terms:
48 hours (2 days)
72 hours (3 days)
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2. DISTANCE
There are two systems for measuring distance in the English-
speaking world:
a) metric
10 millimetres (mm) = 1 centimetre (cm)
100 centimetres = 1 metre (m)
1000 metres = 1 kilometre (km)
b) imperial/US
12 inches (in) = 1 foot (ft)
3 feet = 1 yard (yd) (approximately 1 metre)
1760 yards = 1 mile (approximately 1.6 km)
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3. AREA
Area is the extent of a surface. It is 2-dimensional. Area
is often expressed using the word "square" + the distance.
For example, if a room is 10 metres long and 5 metres wide,
it is 50 square metres (50 sq. m). But we can also use the
distance + the figure 2. Then we would write 50m2.
Here are two examples:
My table is 3 metres long x 2 metres wide:
area = 6 sq.m, or
area = 6m2
My town is 3 miles x 4 miles:
area = 12 sq. miles
We often measure the area of land using:
hectare = 10,000 square metres
acre = 4,840 square yards
Warning!
There is a difference between "square metres" and "metres
square". If my room is 10 feet x 10 feet, it is 100 square
feet but 10 feet square. We can only say this when the
length and the width are the same.
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4. VOLUME
Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object or
enclosed in a container. It is 3-dimensional. Volume is
often expressed using the word "cubic" + the distance. For
example, if a room is 5 metres long, 3 metres wide and
3 metres high, it is 45 cubic metres (45 cu. m). But we can
also use the distance + the figure 3. So we write 45m3.
Other measurements of volume are:
- 1000 cubic centimetres (cc) = 1 litre (L or l)
- gallon (approx. 4.6 litres in UK, approx. 3.8 liters in US)
We use litres to talk about fluids like drinks and petrol.
We also use gallons to talk about petrol and other fluids.
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5. SPEED
Speed is a measurement that combines distance, quantity,
volume etc AND time. Common ways of talking about the speed
of a car, for example, are:
- 50 miles per hour (50mph)
- 50 kilometres per hour (50kph)
We also use the symbol / when talking about speed:
- 50 people/hour (50 people per hour)
- 1000 l/hr (1000 litres per hour)
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6. WEIGHT
There are two systems to measure how heavy something is:
a) metric
1000 grams (g) = 1 kilogram (kg)
1000 kilograms = 1 metric ton (metric tonne)
b) imperial/US
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
14 pounds = 1 stone (British)
100 pounds = 1 hundredweight (cwt)*
20 hundredweights = 1 ton*
*There is a slight difference between British and US
hundreweights and tons.
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7. MONEY
Most countries use a basic monetary unit (for example the
dollar) divided into 100 fractional units (example cents).
They use a combination of paper money (banknotes or notes)
and metal money (coins).
Here are some examples from the world's major currencies:
USA: American Dollar (USD or $)
1 dollar = 100 cents
UK: British Pound (GBP or £)
1 pound = 100 pence
European Union: Euro (EUR)
1 euro = 100 cents
Japan: Japanese Yen (JPY)
1 yen = 100 sen (not used today)
Switzerland: Swiss Franc (CHF)
1 franc = 100 centimes
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Tip!
Words like metre and litre are spelled differently in the
UK and US. The British write metre, kilometre, litre etc.
The Americans write meter, kilometer, liter etc.
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