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From: alanj@orca.UUCP (Alan Jeddeloh)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.games.trivia
Subject: Re: Measurements
Message-ID: <2133@orca.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Aug-86 13:33:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: orca.2133
Posted: Tue Aug 12 13:33:03 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Aug-86 05:56:39 EDT
References: <740@moscom.UUCP>
Reply-To: alanj@orca.UUCP (Alan Jeddeloh)
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In article <740@moscom.UUCP> de@moscom.UUCP (Dave Esan) writes:
>Does anyone know where liquid measure comes from?  That is what is a quart,
>pint or gallon?

According to Knuth, "The common units of liquid measure in England, dating
from the 13th century or earlier, are particularly noteworthy:

	2 gills		= 1 chopin
	2 chopins	= 1 pint
	2 pints		= 1 quart
	2 quarts	= 1 pottle		   4 pints
	2 pottles	= 1 gallon		   8 pints
	2 gallons	= 1 peck		  16 pints
	2 pecks		= 1 demibushel		  32 pints
	2 demibushels	= 1 bushel or firkin	  64 pints
	2 firkins	= 1 kilderkin		 128 pints
	2 kilderkins	= 1 barrel		 256 pints
	2 barrels	= 1 hogshead		 512 pints
	2 hogsheads	= 1 pipe		1024 pints
	2 pipes		= 1 tun			2048 pints"

(I have added the pint equivalents to Knuth's table).

I find it interesting that the "tun" works out to a a smidgeon over 2000
(2.5% over) pounds ("a pint's a pound the world around").  I looked up
"ton" and "tun" in my dictionary, which lead me to the weights and
measures table:

	US LIQUID MEASURE		BRITISH IMPERIAL LIQUID
					    AND DRY MEASURE
	8 fluidrams	= 1 fluidounce	8 fluidrams	= 1 fluidounce
	4 fluidounces	= 1 gill	5 fluidounces	= 1 gill
	4 gills		= 1 pint	4 gills		= 1 pint
	16 fluidounces	= 1 pint	20 fluidounces	= 1 pint

(Hence why the imperial gallons of gas we from the lower 48 used to buy
in Canada (before Metrification) were == 5 US quarts)

Note again that, in the U.S. version, 16 fluid ounces = 1 pound.
It would appear that the nice metric property of linking liquid volume
with weight (or mass) (1 l masses 1 Kg) is not unique.

Questions:
(1) Why and when did the Imperial measure add the extra fluid ounce to
    the gill (or why/when did the US remove it)?

(2) The table from Knuth suggests there were more intermediate units
    between the gill and the fluidram (originally "dram").  Anybody
    know what they were?

	-Alan Jeddeloh
	Tektronix GWD
	Wilsonville, OR
	(503) 685-2991
	tektronix!orca!alanj

References:
Knuth, Donald.  _The Art of Computer Programming_, Volume 2, page 166.
New York.  Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.  1969.

---. _Websters New Collegiate Dictionary_.  Springfield, Mass., USA.
G. & C. Merriam Company.  1973.