Greenwich or London. This pendulum is divided into 391393 equal parts and 360000 of these parts are declared, by act of Parliament, to be the standand yard, at the temperature of 62°; consequently, since the yard is divided into 36 inches, it follows that the length of a pendulum vibrating seconds, under these circumstances, is 39.1393 inches.

The English yard is said to have been originally determined by the length of the arm of Henry I. King of England.

2. The standard of linear measure adopted by the State of New York, is the pendulum which vibrates seconds, in a vacuum, at Columbia College, in the city of New York, which is in the latitude of 40° 42', 43". The yard is declared to be 109 of this pendulum; hence, the length of the pendulum is 39.101688 inches, at the temperature of 32°. Should the standard yard ever be lost, it could be recovered by resorting to the preceding experiment

CLOTH MEASURE.

256. Cloth Measure is used in measuring cloth, lace, and all kinds of goods, which are bought and sold by the yard.

OBS. Cloth measure is a species of long measure. Cloth, laces, &c., are bought and sold by the linear yard, without regard to their width.

SQUARE MEASURE.

257. Square Measure is used in measuring surfaces, or things whose length and breadth are considered without regard to height or depth; as, land, flooring, plastering, &c.

Obs. Of what is

QUEST.-256. In what is cloth measure used? Repeat the Table.

cloth measure a species? What is the kind of yard by which cloths, laces, &c, are bought and sold? 257. In what is Square Measure used? Recite the Table.

152

COMPOUND NUMBERS.

[SECT

Note.-16 square rods make 1 square chain; 10 square chains, or square links, make an acre. Flooring, roofing, plastering, &c., are fro estimated by the "square," which contains 100 square feet.

A hide of land, which is spoken of by ancient writers, is 100 acres.

OBS. 1. A square is a figure which has four equal sides, and all its right angles, as seen in the diagram. Hence,

A Square Inch is a square, whose sides are each a linear inch in length.

A Square Foo! is a square, whose sides are each a linear foot in length.

A Square Yard is a square, whose sides are each a linear yard, or three linear feet in length, and contains 9 square feet, as represented in the adjacent figure.

9 sq. ft. 1 sq

2. Square measure is so called, because its measuring unit is a square. standard of square measure is derived from the standard linear measure. II A unit of square measure is a square whose sides are respectively equ length, to the linear unit of the same name.

CUBIC MEASURE.

258. Cubic Measure is used in measuring solid bodies, things which have length, breadth, and thickness; such as timb stone, boxes of goods, the capacity of rooms, ships, &c.

1728 cubic inches (cu. in.) make 1 cubic foot,

marked cu. ft.

A pile of wood 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet high, contains 1 r For, 8X4X4=128.

QUEST.-Obs. What is a square? What is a square inch? A square foot? A square yard? 258. In what is Cubic Measure used? Recite the Table.

Obs. 1. A Cube is a solid body bounded by six equal sides. It is often called a hexaedron. Hence,

A Cubic Inch is a cube, each of whose sides is a square inch, as represented by the adjoining figure.

A Cubic Foot is a cube, each of whose sides is a square foot.

2. Cubic Measure is so called, because its measuring unit is a cube. It is often called solid meas

ure. The standard of cubic measure is derived from the standard linear

measure.

A unit of cubic measure, therefore, is a cube whose sides are respectively equal in length to the linear unit of the same name.

3. The cubic ton, sometimes called a load, is chiefly used for estimating the cartage and transportation of timber. By a ton of round timber is meant, such a quantity of timber in its rough or natural state, as when hewn, will make 40 cubic feet, and is supposed to be equal in weight to 50 feet of hewn timber.

The cubic ton or load, is by no means an accurate or uniform standard of estimating weight; for, different kinds of timber, are of very different degrees of density. But it is perhaps sufficiently accurate for the purposes to which it is applied.

Note. For an easy method of forming models of the Cube and other regular Solids, see Thomson's Legendre's Geometry, p. 222.

WINE MEASURE.

259. Wine Measure is used in measuring wine, alcohol, molasses, oil, and all other liquids except beer, ale, and milk.

OBS. 1. In England, 10 gallons make 1 anker; 18 gallons, 1 runlet; 2 tierces, or 84 gallons, 1 puncheon.

2. Liquids are generally bought and sold by the gallon or its subdivisions, as

QUEST.-Obs. What is a cube? What is a cubic inch? A cubic foot? What is meant by a ton of round timber? 259. In what is Wine Measure used? Recite the Table.

the quart, pint, &c. Cider and a few cheap articles are bought and sold by the barrel. The capacities of cisterns, vats, &c., are sometimes estimated in hogsheads, and the quotations or prices-current of oils in foreign markets, are usually made in tuns. But the tierce, and the pipe or butt are never used, as such, in business transactions; their contents are given in gallons, quarts, &c.

260. The standard Unit of Liquid Measure adopted by the United States, is the Wine Gallon of 231 cubic inches, which is equal to 58372.1754 grains of distilled water, at the maximum density, weighed in air at 30 inches barometer, or 8.338 lbs. avoirdupois, very nearly.*

OBS. The British imperial standard measure of capacity, both for liquids and dry goods, is the imperial gallon, which is equal to 10 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water, at 62° thermometer and 30 inches barometer, and contains 277.274 cubic inches. It is equal to 1.2 gal. wine measure U. S.

BEER MEASURE.

261. Beer Measure is used in measuring beer, ale, and milk.

OBS. 1. In England, 9 gallons make 1 firkin; 2 firkins, 1 kilderkin; 2 kilderkins, 1 barrel.

2. The beer gallon contains 282 cubic inches, and is equal to 10.1799321 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water, at the maximum density. In many places milk is measured by wine measure.

DRY MEASURE.

262. Dry Measure is used in measuring grain, fruit, &c.

QUEST.-260. What is the standard unit of Liquid Measure of the United States? How many cubic inches in a wine gallon? 261. In what is Beer Measure used? Recite the Table. 262. In what is Dry Measure used? Repeat the Table.

* Reports of the Secretary of the Treasury, March, 1831, and June, 832. A. so, Hassler on Weights and Measures.

OBS. In England flour is often sold by weight. A sack is equal to 280 lbs., and contains about five imperial bushels.

The following denominations, are sometimes used, viz: 2 quarts make 1 pottle; 2 bushels, 1 strike; 2 strikes or 4 bu., 1 coom; 2 cooms or 8 bu., 1 quarter; 5 quarters, 1 wey or load; 2 loads, 1 last.

In London 36 bushels of coal make a chaldron, but in New Castle 79 bushels are said to be allowed for a chaldron. But coal in England and in this country, is now usually bought and sold by weight.

Note.-Wine, Beer, and Dry Measures are often called capacity measures, and are evidently a species of cubic measure.

263. The standard Unit of Dry Measure adopted by the United States, is the Winchester Bushel, which is equal to 77.027413 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water, at the maximum density, weighed in air at 30 inches barometer, and contains 2150.4 cubic inches, nearly.

The Winchester bushel is so called, because the standard measure was formerly kept at Winchester, England. By statute, it is an upright cylinder, 18 inches in diameter, and 8 inches deep.

OBS. 1. The imperial bushel of Great Britain is equal to 80 lbs. avoirdupois of distilled water, at 620 Fahrenheit, and 30 inches barometer, and contains 2218.192 cubic inches; consequently, it is equal to 1.032 bushel U. S., nearly. It is an upright cylinder, whose internal diameter is 18.789 inches, and its depth 8 inches.

The use of heaped measure was abolished by Act of Parliament, in 1835. 2. The standard bushel of the State of New York, is equal to 80 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water, at the maximum density, at the mean pressure of the atmosphere, and contains 2218.192 cubic inches.*

It is customary, at the present day, to determine capacity measures by the weight of distilled water which they contain. This is evidently more accurate than the former method of measurement by cubic inches.

3. In buying and selling grain, when no special agreement as to measurement or weight, is made by the parties, a bushel, in the State of New York, by Act of 1836, consists of 60 lbs. of wheat, 56 lbs. rye or Indian corn, 48 lbs. of barley, and 32 lbs. of oats.

There are similar statutes in most of the other States of the Union. This is the most impartial method by which the value of grain can be estimated.

QUEST.-263. What is the standard unit of Dry Measure adopted by the Government? *By the same Act it was declared, that the standard liquid gallon should be 8 lbs., and the standard dry gallon 10 lbs. avoirdupois of distilled water, at its maximum density But this part of the statute was subsequently repealed, and the previous standard gallon in the office of the Secretary of State, was continued in use.