Many of you have certainly heard the word "ounce". But does everyone know what it means? This is an outdated measure of weight and not only. By the way, this concept has a rich history. And in some sectors of the economy, this measure is indispensable. So how many grams does 1 ounce weigh?
Word
No doubt, this is a term of Latin origin. In ancient Rome, this was the name given to one twelfth of the libra, the main measure of weight. However, not only the mass was measured with it. In general, it may seem that the Romans liked this word very much.
They often said, "I walked four ounces of the way to…" or "I read three ounces of a book." What did it mean? Is it really possible to measure distance with a scale? Of course not. An ounce is another twelfth of something. Well, or one tenth or thirteenth - depending on the country and time. So what else was measured? And How? Also, an ounce in ancient Rome was called a coin. One dot was put on it when minted. The coin, of course, was of a small denomination. It was made from an alloy of tin, copper and lead. They also called some Spanish (doubloons) and Chinese gold coins.
Measures
So, an ounce is, of course, not only a standard of weight. It is also two units of volume and one - force. In general, to find out the mass, there are several ounces. The Romans, as mentioned above, also used it to measure the length, area, capacity, and even the size of the inheritance. So, 1 ounce of length in ancient Rome was equal to 0.0246 meters. And the surface (area) there was measured by yugers. Accordingly, one twelfth of it - 1 ounce - is equal to 209.91 meters.
Varieties
The ancient Roman measure of weight - 1 ounce (one twelfth of a libra) was equal to 28.34 g. It seems quite a bit. But it was also divided into shares: semuncia, sicilicus, scrupules and siliquas. The last one was in ounces as much as 144.
Before the metric system, the ounce was common throughout Europe. It is still in use today. However, not even all weights with this name are the same. Let's take a closer look at the most famous.
Troy ounce
There's probably more to say about this unit of measurement. It is currently used for weighing precious metals. It is also a unit when trading last on special exchanges.
There prices for gold and other precious metals are determined precisely on the basis of one troy ounce. Its weight in terms of the metric system is approximately 31.103 grams. As you can see, it is different from an ordinary ounce. It is also used in jewelry and banking. It also measures the weight of valuable ingredients.in cosmetology. But how did she come about?
The emergence of this term can be attributed to the thirteenth century AD. It will seem surprising to some, but this measure has nothing to do with the legendary city of Troy. And she appeared in the French Troyes. There at that time (12-13 centuries, and according to some sources - from the 5th century) three-month fairs became very popular, which attracted people from many European countries. The abundance of different currencies (in France then almost every city had its own money) and weights (each product had its own) created confusion in trade, and therefore after a while it was decided to take the French livre as a standard, which contained a pound of silver.
1 troy ounce, respectively, is one twelfth of this measure of weight. There is an opinion that this was not without the participation of the French crown. In any case, the unit seemed very convenient. After all, this coin weighed exactly a pound. And at that time, money was valued precisely for its weight. It was later that the precious metal in them began to be replaced with nickel or copper. However, kings have come and gone. And control over the chasers, of which there were quite a lot, was not always at a sufficient level. So silver in French coins became less and less. Very often, precious coins were cut off altogether in order to extract silver or gold. Therefore, it was necessary to introduce a standard coinage with a clear border. Over time, gold and silver, of course, significantly outgrew the value of the face value of all world coins. And they practically stopped adding them there.
Coins
Currently, banks in many countries around the world continue to issue gold coins. Moreover, they are acquired not only for private collections. Thus, people can invest and store money in gold. In this sense, it is the equivalent of gold bars. Most of these coins contain just a troy ounce of gold:
1. Australian gold bar (coin).
2. Austrian Philharmonic.
3. American golden buffalo.
4. American golden eagle.
5. Canadian Gold Maple Leaf.
6. Chinese panda.
7. South African Krugerrand.
They all have the corresponding inscription. And, of course, not all of them weigh exactly a troy ounce. They may also contain other metals. But a troy ounce of gold, silver or platinum must be in them. By the way, when buying precious metals via the Internet, be careful: in what units of measurement the weight is indicated there. After all, an ounce of avoirdupois (it is now most often used in trade) is lighter than a troy. As you can see, this seemingly outdated measure of weight does not even think of losing its position in this area to grams and kilograms. Perhaps this is because such a significant commodity as gold, for example, must also be measured in significant quantities. Yes, and it is easier to make ingots weighing 31 g than than one-gram ones. In general, using the example of a coin, you can perfectly and easily answer the question: "An ounce is how many grams of gold?"
US system of measures
In the United States, pounds are still used to measure weight. And with them, therefore, ounces. But again, not like everywhere else.
Averdupois or the so-called trading ounce. It was used when selling goods by weight. In the metric system, its value is 28.349 g.
The US fluid ounce is used to measure volumes. It is approximately 29.537 ml. When indicating the volume on food packages, for convenience, it is equated to 30 milliliters. The British, by the way, have their own fluid ounce. Its volume is 28.413 ml.
European weights
Like many other things, the ounce was borrowed from the Roman Empire by almost all the peoples of Europe. And it was used everywhere until the introduction of the metric system in the eighteenth century. So, for example, in Germany it was considered one sixteenth of a trading pound. It was also used in medicine, where it was equal to 1/12 of a small pharmaceutical weight. She measured the weight in the preparation of medicines. The so-called apothecary ounce has survived to this day. Russia also adopted this system from the Germans. It weighed from 25 to 35 g, depending on the country where it was used. It is sometimes used even today. Therefore, when buying some foreign medicine in a pharmacy, it is important to know how many grams are in 1 ounce. Neither you nor your doctor need an overdose.
The Netherlands also used an ounce. And even when they switched to the new system in 1820, they kept their Dutch ounce to denote its weight of one hundred grams.
Other countries did not lag behindEurope. In Italy, there were 12 Roman ounces in a pound, and in Spain and Portugal, 16 each in Castilian libre and artel, respectively.
In England, there were already the above-mentioned troy ounce, pharmaceutical and commercial. They were shares of the pounds of the same name. But if a troy and apothecaries are 1/12, then a trading ounce was one sixteenth.
And once again about coins. In Sicily, until 1860, the ounce was in use. It was equal to two and a half scuds, three ducats. And it was equivalent to one hundred and twenty-three Italian lira of the new time.
On other continents
Besides America, where the ounce has taken root in the United States, it has also found its use in Africa. In the north of this continent it was called ukkiya. So, in Algeria it corresponded to 34.13 grams, in Tunisia - 31.68, in Egypt - 37.068 and in Tripoli 1 ounce weighed 30.02 g.
In conclusion
So we found out what 1 ounce is. And that it appeared in ancient Rome. There it was used to measure not only weight, it was more of a mathematical symbol. From there she went to conquer the world. In many ways, the ounce anticipated the metric system in Europe. Only instead of one tenth, 1/12 appeared in Ancient Rome. This probably happened due to mythology. In the life of people then, the number twelve was quite symbolic.
Further, an ounce boldly marched across Europe, changing slightly, depending on the country. Then it was replaced by already more convenient kilograms and grams. But in the form of troy and avoirdupois, the ounce has reached our days. Probably becausethat good things are hard to forget. After all, it became the first standard measure of weight in developing Europe. And largely thanks to her, the economies of the countries were able to develop correctly. It facilitated trade and became a measure of the most valuable commodity at that time - gold.
