APPENDIX, CONTAINING TABLES OF VARIOUS WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. New French Weights and Measures. THE weights and measures in common use are liable to great uncertainty and inconvenience. There being no fixed standard at hand, by which their accuracy can be ascertained, a great variety of measures, bearing the same name, has obtained in different countries. The foot, for instance, is used to stand for about a hundred different established lengths. The several denominations of weights and measures are also arbitrary, and occasion most of the trouble and perplexity, that learners meet with in mercantile arithmetic. To remedy these evils, the French government adopted a new system of weights and measures, the several denominations of which proceed in a decimal ratio, and all referrible to a common permanent standard, established by nature, and accessible at all places on the earth. This standard is a meridian of the earth, which it was thought expedient to divide into 40 million parts. One of these parts is assumed as the unit of length, and the basis of the whole system. This they called a metre. It is equal to about 39 English inches, of which submultiples and multiples being taken, the various denominations of length are formed. A millimetre is the 1000th part of a metre A METRE A decametre A hecatometre A chiliometre A myriometre Eng. Inch. Dec. ,03937 ,39371 10th part of a metre 3,93710 39,37100 393,71000 3937,10000 39371,00000 10000 metres 393710,00000 10 metres 100 metres 1000 metres A grade or degree of the meridian equal to 100000 metres, or 100th part of the quadrant 3937100,00000 A cube, whose side is one tenth of a metre, that is, a cubic decimeter, constitutes the unite of measures of capacity. It is called the litre, and contains 61,028 cubic inches. A millilitre or 1000th part of a litre A myriolitre 100000 litres Eng. Cub. In. Dec. ,06103 ,61028 6,10280 61,02800 610,28000 6102,80000 61028,00000 610280,00000 The English pint, wine measure, contains 28,875 cubic inches. The litre therefore is 2 pints and nearly of a pint. Hence, 44 A decalitre is equal to 2 gal. 6431 cubic inches. The unit of weight is the gramme. It is the weight of a quantity of pure water, equal to a cubic centimetre, and is equal to A chiliogramme 1000 grammes A myriogramme 10000 grammes A gramme being equal to 15,444 grains Troy. 15444,0234 154440,2344 A decagramme 6dwt. 10,44gr. equal to 5,65 drams Avoirdupois. 100 myriogrammes make a tun, wanting 32lb. 8oz. Land Measure. The unit is the are, which is a square decametre, equal to 3,95 perches. The deciare is a tenth of an are, the centiare is 100th of an are, and equal to a square metre. The milliare is 1000th of an are. The decare is equal to 10 ares; the hecatare to 100 ares, and equal to 2 acres, 1 rood, 35,4 perches English. The chiliare is equal to 1000 ares, the myriare to 10000 ares. For fire-wood the stere is the unit of measure. It is equal to a cubic metre, containing 35,3171 cubic feet English. cistere is the tenth of a stere. The de The quadrant of the circle generally is divided like the fourth part of the meridian, into 100 degrees, each degree into 100 minutes, and each minute into 100 seconds, &c. so that the same number, which expresses a portion of the meridian, indicates also its length, which is a great convenience in navigation. The coin also is comprehended in this system, and made to conform to their unit of weight. The weight of the franc, of which one tenth is alloy, is fixed at 5 grammes; its tenth part is called décime, its hundredth part centime, The divisions of time, soon after the adoption of the above, underwent a similar alteration. The year was made to consist of 12 months of 30 days each, and the excess of 5 days in common and 6 in leap years was considered as belonging to no month. Each month was divided into three parts called decades. The day was divided into 10 hours, each hours into 100 minutes, and each minute into 100 seconds. This new calendar was adopted in 1793; in 1805 it was abolished, and the old calendar restored. The weights and measures are still in use, and will probably prevail throughout the continent of Europe. They are recommended to the attention of every civilized country; and their general adoption would prove of no small importance to the scientific, as well as the commercial world. N. B. of a cubit. There was another span used in the East, equal to N. B. Two sorts of long measures were used in Greece, viz. the Olympic and the Pythic. The former was used in Peloponnesus, Attica, Sicily, and the Greek cities in Italy. The latter was used in Thessaly, Illyria, Phocis, and Thrace. †These numbers show how many of each denomination it takes to make one of the next following. |