measurement

meas·ure·ment  (mzhr-mnt)

n.

1. The act of measuring or the process of being measured.

2. A system of measuring: measurement in miles.

3. The dimension, quantity, or capacity determined by measuring: the measurements of a room.

Conversion From U.S. Customary to Metric units

When You Know	Multiply By	To Find
inches	25.4	millimeters
	2.54	centimeters
feet	30.48	centimeters
yards	0.91	meters
miles	1.61	kilometers
teaspoons	4.93	milliliters
tablespoons	14.79	milliliters
fluid ounces	29.57	milliliters
cups	0.24	liters
pints	0.47	liters
quarts	0.95	liters
gallons	3.79	liters
cubic feet	0.028	cubic meters
cubic yards	0.76	cubic meters
ounces	28.35	grams
pounds	0.45	kilograms
short tons (2,000 lbs)	0.91	metric tons
square inches	6.45	square centimeters
square feet	0.09	square meters
square yards	0.84	square meters
square miles	2.60	square kilometers
acres	0.40	hectacres

From Metric to U.S. Customary Units

When You Know	Multiply By	To Find
millimeters	0.04	inches
centimeters	0.39	inches
meters	3.28	feet
	1.09	yards
kilometers	0.62	miles
milliliters	0.20	teaspoons
	0.06	tablespoons
	0.03	fluid ounces
liters	1.06	quarts
	0.26	gallons
	4.23	cups
	2.12	pints
cubic meters	35.32	cubic feet
	1.35	cubic yards
grams	0.035	ounces
kilograms	2.21	pounds
metric ton (1,000 kg)	1.10	short ton
square centimeters	0.16	square inches
square meters	1.20	square yards
square kilometers	0.39	square miles
hectacres	2.47	acres

Temperature Conversion Between Celsius and Fahrenheit

°C = (°F - 32) · 1.8

°F = (°C x 1.8) + 32

Condition	Fahrenheit	Celsius
Boiling point of water	212°	100°
A very hot day	104°	40°
Normal body temperature	98.6°	37°
A warm day	86°	30°
A mild day	68°	20°
A cool day	50°	10°
Freezing point of water	32°	0°
Lowest temperature Gabriel Fahrenheit could obtain by mixing salt and ice	0°	-17.8°

U.S. Customary System: Length

Unit	Relation to Other U.S. Customary Units	Metric Equivalent
inch	1/12 foot	2.54 centimeters
foot	12 inches or 1/3 yard	0.3048 meter
yard	36 inches or 3 feet	0.9144 meter
rod	16 1/2 feet or 5 1/2 yards	5.0292 meters
furlong	220 yards or 1/8 mile	0.2012 kilometer
mile (statute)	5,280 feet or 1,760 yards	1.6093 kilometers
mile (nautical)	2,025 yards	1.852 kilometers

U.S. Customary System: Volume or Capacity (Liquid Measure)

Unit	Relation to Other U.S. Customary Units	Metric Equivalent
ounce	1/16 pint	29.574 milliliters
gill	4 ounces	0.1183 liter
pint	16 ounces	0.4732 liter
quart	2 pints or 1/4 gallon	0.9463 liter
gallon	128 ounces or 8 pints	3.7853 liters
barrel
(wine)	31 1/2 gallons	119.24 liters
(beer)	36 gallons	136.27 liters
(oil)	42 gallons	158.98 liters

U.S. Customary System: Volume or Capacity (Dry Measure)

Unit	Relation to Other U.S. Customary Units	Metric Equivalent
pint	1/2 quart	0.5506 liter
quart	2 pints	1.1012 liters
peck	8 quarts or 1/4 bushel	8.8098 liters
bucket	2 pecks	17.620 liters
bushel	2 buckets or 4 pecks	35.239 liters

U.S. Customary System: Weight

Unit	Relation to Other U.S. Customary Units	Metric Equivalent
grain	1/7000 pound	64.799 milligrams
dram	1/16 ounce	1.7718 grams
ounce	16 drams	28.350 grams
pound	16 ounces	453.6 grams
ton (short)	2,000 pounds	907.18 kilograms
ton (long)	2,240 pounds	1,016.0 kilograms

U.S. Customary System: Geographic Area

Unit	Relation to Other U.S. Customary Units	Metric Equivalent
acre	4,840 square yards	4,047 square meters

Cooking Measures

Unit	Relation to Other Cooking Measures	Conversion to Metric Units
drop	1/76 teaspoon	0.0649 milliliter
teaspoon	76 drops or 1/3 tablespoon	4.9288 milliliters
tablespoon	3 teaspoons	14.786 milliliters
cup	16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint	0.2366 liter
pint	2 cups	0.4732
quart	4 cups or 2 pints	0.9463

British Imperial System: Volume or Capacity (Liquid Measure)

Unit	Relation to Other British Imperial Units	Conversion to U.S. Customary Units	Conversion to Metric Units
pint	1/2 quart	1.201 pints	0.5683 liter
quart	2 pints or 1/4 gallon	1.201 quarts	1.137 liters
gallon	8 pints or 4 quarts	1.201 gallons	4.546 liters

British Imperial System: Volume or Capacity (Dry Measure)

Unit	Relation to Other British Imperial Units	Conversion to U.S. Customary Units	Conversion to Metric Units
peck	1/4 bushel	1.0314 pecks	9.087 liters
bushel	4 pecks	1.0320 bushels	36.369 liters

Apothecary Weights

Unit	Relation to Other Apothecary Units	Conversion to U.S. Customary Units	Conversion to Metric Units
grain	160 dram or 1/5760 pound	equal to the U.S. Customary grain	64.799 milligrams
dram	60 grains or 1/8 ounce	2.1943 drams	3.8879 grams
ounce	8 drams	1.0971 ounces	31.1035 grams
pound	12 ounces or 96 drams	0.8232 pound	373.242 grams

Units of the International System

The International System (abbreviated SI, for Systeme International, the French name for the system) was adopted in 1960 by the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures. An expanded and modified version of the metric system, International System addresses the needs of modern science for additional and more accurate units of measurement. The key features of the International System are decimalization, a system of prefixes, and a standard defined in terms of an invariable physical measure.

Base Units

The International System has base units from which all others in the system are derived. The standards for the base units, except for the kilogram, are defined by unchanging and reproducible physical occurences. For example, the meter is defined as the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. The standard for the kilogram is a platinum-iridium cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Standards in Sèvres, France.

Unit	Quantity	Symbol
meter	length	m
kilogram	mass	kg
second	time	s
ampere	electric current	A
kelvin	temperature	K
mole	amount of matter	mol
candela	luminous intensity	cd

Supplementary Units

The International System uses two supplementary units that are based on abstract geometrical concepts rather than physical standards.

Unit	Quantity	Symbol
radian	plane angles	rad
steradian	solid angles	sr

Prefixes

A multiple of a unit in the International System is formed by adding a prefix to the name of that unit. The prefixes change the magnitude of the unit by orders of ten from 10²⁴ to 10^-24.

Prefix	Symbol	Multiplying Factor
yotta-	Y	1024 = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
zetta-	Z	1021 = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
exa-	E	1018 = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000
peta-	P	1015 = 1,000,000,000,000,000
tera-	T	1012 = 1,000,000,000,000
giga-	G	109 = 1,000,000,000
mega-	M	106 = 1,000,000
kilo-	K	103 = 1,000
hecto-	h	102 = 1000
deca-	da	10 = 10
deci-	d	10-1 = 0.1
centi-	c	10-2 = 0.01
milli-	m	10-3 = 0.001
micro-	[[[micro.gif]]]	10-6 = 0.000,001
nano-	n	10-9 = 0.000,000,001
pico-	p	10-12 = 0.000,000,000,001
femto-	f	10-15 = 0.000,000,000,000,001
atto-	a	10-18 = 0.000,000,000,000,000,001
zepto-	z	10-21 = 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,001
yocto-	y	10-24 = 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001

Additional Units

Listed below are a few of the non-SI units that are commonly used with the International System.

Unit	Quantity	Symbol
angstrom (= 10-10m)	length	Å
electron-volt (= 0.160 aJ)	energy	eV
hectare (= 10,000 m2)	land area	ha
liter (= 1.0dm3)	volume or capacity	l
standard atmosphere (= 101.3 kPa)	pressure	atm

Derived Units

Most of the units in the International System are derived units, that is units defined in terms of base units and supplementary units. Derived units can be divided into two groups - those that have a special name and symbol, and those that do not.

Without Names and Symbols
Measure of	Derivation
acceleration	m/s2
angular acceleration	rad/s2
angular velocity	rad/s
density	kg/m3
electric field strength	V/m
luminance	cd/m2
magnetic field strength	A/m
velocity	m/s

With Names and Symbols
Unit	Measure of	Symbol	Derivation
coulomb	electric charge	C	A·s
farad	electric capacitance	F	A·s/V
henry	inductance	H	V·s/A
hertz	frequency	Hz	cycles/s
joule	quantity of energy	J	N·m
lumen	flux of light	lm	cd·sr
lux	illumination	lx	lm/m2
newton	force	N	kg·m/s2
ohm	electric resistance	[[[c_oc_hgr.gif]]]	V/A
pascal	pressure	Pa	N/m2
tesla	magnetic flux density	T	Wb/m2
volt	voltage	V	W/A
watt	power	W	J/s
weber	magnetic flux	Wb	V·s

Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company

---

measurement

Noun

1. the act or process of measuring

2. an amount, extent, or size determined by measuring

3. a system or unit used for measuring: the kilometre is the standard measurement of distance in most countries

4. measurements the size of a person's waist, chest, hips, etc., used when buying clothes

---

measurement  (mzhr-mnt) A method of determining quantity, capacity, or dimension. Several systems of measurement exist, each one comprising units whose amounts have been arbitrarily set and agreed upon by specific groups. While the United States Customary System remains the most commonly used system of measurement in the United States, the International System is accepted all over the world as the standard system for use in science.

measurement

---

Measurement

See also instruments.

acetimetry

the measurement of the relative amount of acetic acid in a given subtance. — acetimetrical, adj.

acidimetry

Chemistry. the determination of the amount of free acid in a liquid. — acidimeter, n. — acidimetrical, adj.

algometry

measurement of pain by means of an algometer.

atmidometry

the measurement of evaporation in the air. — atmidometer, n.

autometry

1. the measurement of oneself.
2. the measurement of a part of a figure as a fraction of the total figure’s height. — autometric, adj.

baculometry

the measurement of distance or lines by means of a stave or staff.

chorometry

the science of land surveying.

chronoscopy

accurate measurement of short intervals of time by means of a chronoscope. — chronoscopic, adj.

cosmometry

the science of measuring the universe.

cryometry

the measurement of extremely low temperatures, by means of a cryometer.

cyclometry

the measurement of circles.

dosimetry

the measurement by a dosimeter of the dosage of radiation a per-son has received. See also drugs. — dosimetrist, n. — dosimetric, dosimetrical, adj.

erythrocytometry

measurement of the red blood cells in the blood, by use of an erythrocytometer.

eudiometry

the science of measuring and analyzing gases by means of a eudiometer.

fluorometry

the measurement of fluorescence, or visible radiation, by means of a fluorometer. — fluorometric, adj.

galvanometry

the measurement of the strength of electric currents, by means of a galvanometer. — galvanometric, galvanometrical, adj.

gasometry

the measurement of the amounts of the gases in a mixture. — gasometer, n. — gasometric, gasometrical, adj.

goniometry

the practice or theory of measuring angles, especially by means of a goniometer.

halometry

the measurement of the dimensions and angles of the planes of salt crystals. — halometer, n.

heliometry

the practice of measuring the angular distance between stars by means of a heliometer. — heliometric, heliometrical, adj.

horometry

the art or science of measuring time. — horometrical, adj.

hypsometry

the measurement of altitude and heights, especially with refer-ence to sea level. — hypsometric, hypsometrical, adj.

indigometry

the practice and art of determining the strength and coloring power of an indigo solution.

isometry

equality of measure. — isometric, isometrical, adj.

konimetry

the measurement of impurities in the air by means of a konimeter. — konimetric, adj.

kymography, cymography

1. the measuring and recording of variations in fluid pressure, as blood pressure.
2. the measuring and recording of the angular oscillations of an aircraft in flight, with respect to an axis or axes flxed in space. — kymograph, n. — kymographic, adj.

megameter

Rare. an instrument for measuring large objects. See also geography.

mensuration

1. the act, process, or science of measurement.
2. the branch of geometry dealing with measurement of length, area, or volume. — mensurate, mensurational, adj.

metrology

the study and science of measures and weights. — metrologist, n. — metrological, adj.

osmometry

the measurement of osmotic pressure, or the force a dissolved substance exerts on a semipermeable membrane through which it cannot pass when separated by it from a pure solvent. — osmometric, adj.

osteometry

the measurement of bones.

oxidimetry

the determination or estimation of the quantity of oxide formed on a substance. — oxidimetric, adj.

pantometry

Obsolete, the realm of geometrical measurements, taken as a whole. — pantometer, n. — pantometric, pantometrical, adj.

piezometry

the measurement of pressure or compressibility, as with a piezometer. — piezometric, adj.

plastometry

the measurement of the plasticity of materials, as with a plastometer. — plastometric, adj.

pulmometry

the measurement of the capacity of the lungs. — pulmometer, n.

pyrometry

the measurement of temperatures greater than 1500 degrees Celsius. — pyrometer, n. — pyrometric, pyrometrical, adj.

radiometry

the measurement of radiant energy by means of a radiometer. — radiometric, adj.

rheometry

the measurement of electric current, usually with a galvanometer. — rheometric, adj.

stadia

a means of surveying in which distances are measured by reading intervals on a graduated rod intercepted by two parallel cross hairs in the telescope of a surveying instrument. — stadia, adj.

stereometry

1. the process of determining the volume and dimensions of a solid.
2. the process of determining the specific gravity of a liquid. — stereometric, adj.

tachymetry

the measurement of distance, height, elevation, etc., with a tachymeter.

telemetry

the science or use of the telemeter; long-distance measurement.

turbidimetry

the measurement of the turbidity of water or other fluids, as with a turbidimeter. — turbidimetric, adj.

urinometry

measurement of the specific gravity of urine, by means of an urinometer.

volumenometry

the measurement of the volume of a solid body by means of a volumenometer.

volumetry

the measurement of the volume of solids, gases, or liquids; volumetric analysis. — volumetric, volumetrical, adj.

zoometry

the measurement and comparison of the sizes of animals and their parts. — zoometric, adj.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

measurement - the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule; "the measurements were carefully done"; "his mental measurings proved remarkably accurate" measuring, mensuration, measure activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" seismography - the measurement of tremors and shocks and undulatory movements of earthquakes quantitative analysis, quantitative chemical analysis - chemical analysis to determine the amounts of each element in the substance actinometry - measuring the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (especially of the sun's rays) algometry - measuring sensitivity to pain or pressure anemography - recording anemometrical measurements anemometry - measuring wind speed and direction angulation - the precise measurement of angles anthropometry - measurement and study of the human body and its parts and capacities arterial blood gases - measurement of the pH level and the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in arterial blood; important in diagnosis of many respiratory diseases audiometry - measuring sensitivity of hearing bathymetry, plumbing - measuring the depths of the oceans calorimetry - measurement of quantities of heat cephalometry - measurement of human heads densitometry - measuring the optical density of a substance by shining light on it and measuring its transmission dosimetry - measuring the dose of radiation emitted by a radioactive source fetometry, foetometry - measurement of a fetus (especially the diameter of the head) gravimetry, hydrometry - the measurement of specific gravity hypsometry, hypsography - measurement of the elevation of land above sea level mental measurement - a generic term used to cover any application of measurement techniques to the quantification of mental functions micrometry - measuring with a micrometer observation - the act of making and recording a measurement pelvimetry - measurement of the dimensions of the bony birth canal (to determine whether vaginal birth is possible) photometry - measurement of the properties of light (especially luminous intensity) quantification - the act of discovering or expressing the quantity of something radioactive dating - measurement of the amount of radioactive material (usually carbon 14) that an object contains; can be used to estimate the age of the object meter reading, reading - the act of measuring with meters or similar instruments; "he has a job meter reading for the gas company" sampling - measurement at regular intervals of the amplitude of a varying waveform (in order to convert it to digital form) sounding - the act of measuring depth of water (usually with a sounding line) sound ranging - locating a source of sound (as an enemy gun) by measurements of the time the sound arrives at microphones in known positions scaling - act of measuring or arranging or adjusting according to a scale spirometry - the use of a spirometer to measure vital capacity surveying - the practice of measuring angles and distances on the ground so that they can be accurately plotted on a map; "he studied surveying at college" telemetry - automatic transmission and measurement of data from remote sources by wire or radio or other means thermometry - the measurement of temperature thermogravimetry - the measurement of changes in weight as a function of changes in temperature used as a technique of chemically analyzing substances tonometry - the measurement of intraocular pressure by determining the amount of force needed to make a slight indentation in the cornea viscometry, viscosimetry - the measurement of viscosity

---

measurement

noun 1. size, length, dimension, area, amount, weight, volume, capacity, extent, height, depth, width, magnitude, amplitude

noun 2. calculation, assessment, evaluation, estimation, survey, judgment, valuation, appraisal, computation, calibration, mensuration, metage

Translations

measurement [ˈmɛʒəmənt] n (= measure) → medida;

(act) → medición f;

to take sb's measurements → tomar las medidas a algn

measurement [ˈmɛʒəmənt] measure n (measure) → Maß nt;

(act) → Messung f;

chest/hip measurement measure → Brust-/Hüftumfang m

measurement [ˈmɛʒəmənt] n (act) → misurazione f (= measure); misura;

chest/hip measurement → giro petto/fianchi;

to take sb's measurements → prendere le misure di qn