UNITED STATES MONEY. COPPER COINS. The Half-cent, value 5 mills. SILVER COINS. The Half-dime, value 5 cents. The Dime, value 10 cents. The Quarter of a Dollar, value 25 cents. The Dollar, value 100 cents. GOLD COINS. The Quarter-eagle, value two dollars and fifty cents. The Half-eagle, value five dollars. The Eagle, value ten dollars. 4 shillings and 6 pence are equal to 1 dollar. 1 shilling is equal to 22 cents and 2 mills. I pound is equal to 4 dollars, 44 cents, and 4 mills. TROY WEIGHT. 24 grains (gr.) make 1 pennyweight, marked dwt. 20 pennyweights" 1 ounce, 12 ounces 66 1 pound, 66 OZ. Gold, silver, platina, diamonds and other precious stones, are weighed by this. 20 pennyweights (dwt.) make 1 ounce, Medicines are mixed by this weight, but drugs are usually bought and sold by avoirdupois weight. This weight is used for all coarse things, groceries, butter, cheese, meat, bread, &c., and all metals except gold, silver, and platina. Distances, and things where length only is considered, are measured by this. This is used for measuring all kinds of superficies or surfaces, such as land, paving, flooring, plastering, roofing, slating, and whatever has but the two dimensions usually called length and breadth. A square foot has two dimensions, each 12 inches; thus a square foot contains 12 times 12, or 144 square inches: a square yard is 3 feet each way, and contains 3 times 3, or 9 feet. A square mile is 320 rods each way, and thus contains 320 times 320 rods, or 640 acres. This is used to measure all kinds of solids, or things having three dimensions, usually called length, breadth, and depth or thickness. A cubic foot has three dimensions, and is 12 inches each way; thus it has 12 times 12 times 12 inches, as above. |