Almanac chapter 24: Weights and Measures

                                     Chapter 24

                                WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

              The   speed   of   light   is 186,272 miles per second. Sound
         travels  at  1,088  feet  per  second  or  742  miles   per   hour
         (approximately).  This  means  that  sound  is about 900,000 times
         slower than light.

              Hertz = cycles per second.

              1 hp (horsepower) = ability to lift 33,000 lbs  one  foot  in
         one minute. One real, live horse = .66 hp.  A strong bicyclist can
         deliver one horsepower for no more than thirty seconds.

              Karat  =  how  many  parts  out  of  24  are pure. 18 Karat =
         three-quarters pure.

              Board Foot = 144 cubic inches = 12x12x1.
              Chain = 66 feet; 1 mi = 80 chains.
              Gross = 12 dozen = 144.
              Great gross = 12 gross = 1728.
              Hand = 4 inches.
              Quire = one 20th of a ream.
              Ream = 500 sheets (sometimes 480).
              Stone = 14 pounds.
              Barrel of oil = 42 gallons.

              Electricity:
              1 kilowatt/hour = 1 one  hundred  watt  light  bulb  for  ten
         hours,  or ten for 1 hour, 0.3 lbs of coal, 0.025 gallons of crude
         oil or 3.3 cubic feet of natural gas.

              BTU, British Thermal Unit; The amount  of  heat  required  to
         raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

              CALORIE  The  amount  of  heat  required to raise one gram of
         water one degree Centigrade.

                                  CALORIE COUNTER
                           1 apple................... 80
                           1 banana................. 100
                           1 can beer............... 150
                           1 brownie................. 85
                           1 tbsp butter............ 100
                           1 carrot.................. 30
                           1 oz cheese...............115
                           1 egg..................... 85
                           1 french fry.............. 11
                           1 oz ground beef.......... 60
                           1 tbsp honey.............. 65
                           1 hot dog................ 170
                           1 cup milk............... 255
                           1 pancake................. 60
                           1 cup peanuts............ 840
                           1 slice pizza............ 145
                           1 cup popcorn............. 25
                           1 saltine cracker......... 15
                           1 can soft drink......... 145
                           1 tbsp sugar.............. 45
                           1 oz whiskey.............. 70
                           1 slice white bread....... 70
                           8 oz yogurt.............. 230


              A square acre is 209 feet per side.

              The equator is 24,901 miles long. If you  could  walk  around
         the earth at the equator it would take you roughly one year if you
         walked 24 hours a day.

              If  you  have  a car engine that is rated 231 CID (Cubic Inch
         Displacement) it's cylinders hold a total of one gallon.

              A person can swim at a top speed of 4.1 miles  per  hour  and
         run at 24 miles per hour.

              A teaspoon holds 120 drops of water.

              A  mile  on land is 5,280 feet long. A nautical mile is 6,080
         feet.

              A carat, the measurement of gems, is 200  milligrams,  nearly
         equivalent of a carab seed on which it was based.