When asked about the characteristics of a thing, most likely, among other features, its mass will be named. Today, weight in most countries is measured in kilograms. But this was not always the case, and even now other systems are used.
Need for measurements
The need to understand how much this or that thing weighs probably arose simultaneously with the advent of commodity-money relations. Why were there such calculations before? Dividing the harvest, selling or buying something - all these actions require at least a rough measurement of mass. This, in turn, requires the introduction of more or less universal and understandable units, as well as special instruments - scales. This is how different states developed their own systems, some of which still exist.
History: Examples in the West
As you know, until a certain moment, England was the leading power, and it was her Imperial system of measures that most European states, as well as colonies, began to use over time. In its version, the mass was designated as follows:
| Name | Description | Corresponds to modern units |
| Drahma | One of the smallest units | 1, 77g |
| Ounce | Equal to 16 drachmas | 28, 35g |
| Pound | There were several varieties, one of the most common units | 453, 59 g |
| Quatern | Equal to 3.5 pounds | 1, 59kg |
| Stone | Mainly used to measure human body weight | 6, 35kg |
| Short handweight | Used in agriculture | 45, 36 kg |
| Long handweight | Appeared in connection with the special packaging of coal, now almost never used | 50, 8kg |
| English (long) ton | Equal to 20 long handweights | 1016, 05kg |
| Kiel | Equivalent to 47488 pounds | 21540, 16 kg |
So, the remnants of this system still exist in one form or another. Despite standards that have changed a long time ago, old weights are still used in many areas. But gradually they are still being squeezed out.
Because it is more difficult to weigh bulk solids, it was usually more convenient to proceed from volume units. The British mainly used pints, equal to approximately 0.568 liters. A measure with this name is now used in the United States, but it is already equivalent to 0.55 liters.
In Russia and in Russia
Before the adoption of the standard system herethere was its own, partially echoing the English. Some units had the same names, but differed in size, which turned into a terrible confusion in international trade. So, in Russia, the following weights were used:
| Name | Description | Modern fit |
| Share (drachma) | The smallest old Russian unit | 0, 044 g |
| Spool | Equal to 96 shares | 4, 224g |
| Lot | Equal to 3 spools | 12, 797 g |
| Pound | Taken from the English system | 409, 5g |
| Pud | Was 40 pounds | 16, 38 kg |
| Berkovets | 10 pounds | 163, 8kg |
Obviously, some of the names have migrated from the English system, although the original ones have also been preserved. Especially alien in this case looks like a measure of weights "pound", which, nevertheless, has completely taken root. Some names are still used now, but with different meanings. For example, the hryvnia became the name of the currency.
Of course, the original Russian measure of weight is a pood, which is reflected in numerous popular expressions. Perhaps, with its loss, a considerable part of the originality was lost, but for the sake of convenience, sometimes you have to sacrifice something. The pud remained in the people's memory, proverbs, sayings and just catchphrases.
Bulk products were evaluated using special"bread" measures - quarters, octopuses and flippers. For liquids, a quadrangle and a garnet were also used.
Eastern States
China, Japan and other Asian countries have always been a mystery to Europeans. These states developed on their own, so it is not surprising that they developed their own measures of weight and volume. Despite the fact that China has long adopted the standard system, which will be discussed below, in the markets, even in central cities, the jin, equal to 0.5 kg, remains the main trading unit. That is why you need to be more careful when shopping. In another way, this unit is sometimes called the Chinese pound.
In a number of countries in Southeast Asia, a similar unit is also used - a catty, equal to approximately 600 grams. It is still used in Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Burma.
Special Measures
Using a standard system is not always convenient. For example, not every housewife in the kitchen holds a scale to accurately measure the mass of products in accordance with the recipe. Yes, special jars with marks are used, especially for
bulk materials, but, nevertheless, most women prefer to use their own dishes for measurements. This habit was instilled in most Russian housewives by their mothers and grandmothers, because in the USSR all glasses, for example, were completely standard. So this method was extremely convenient if the recipes were passed from girlfriend to girlfriend. And althoughthis system is gradually becoming a thing of the past, some housewives continue to either pour or put products "by eye", or use the familiar and familiar "glasses", "teaspoons" and "on the tip of a knife".
Pharmacy system
At all times, the preparation of medicines required the most careful calculations andmeasurements. Indeed, according to the well-known expression belonging to Paracelsus, everything is a poison, everything is a medicine; both determine the dose. So it was the pharmacists who needed the most accurate weights and the most stringent standards of measurement, because the slightest deviation from the prescription had, at best, consequences such as the ineffectiveness of the remedy.
That is why the weight system for pharmacists was separate. And still, the meanings differed in different countries, even if they were borrowed.
| Name | Description | In England | In Russia |
| Grand | The smallest pharmaceutical measure of weights | 64, 8mg | 62, 2mg |
| Scruple | Equal to 20 grains | 1, 295 g | 1, 244g |
| Drahma | 3 scruple | 3, 888g | 3, 73g |
| Ounce | 8 drachmas | 31, 103 g | 29, 8g |
| Pound | 12 oz | 373, 242g | 358, 323g |
So, it is obvious that the difference in systems could lead to quite
unpleasant consequences. In addition to it, coincidences in the name of pharmaceutical and trade measures could alsocause confusion. That is why there was a general need for unification - so that the measures of weights are the same everywhere.
Over time, a system was developed that is now used by the majority in both the manufacture of medicines and in trade. And the pharmacy scale is a thing of the past, leaving the pharmacists as a legacy of incredibly accurate measuring instruments.
Modern standard system
It became clear that heterogeneous measures of weights are inconvenient to translate into each other. Given the fact that some names coincided, but their meanings did not, the question arose of introducing common standards. And the first steps to implement this initiative were taken after the French Revolution. In 1875, the Meter Convention was signed, so that a more or less common system of measures for weight, length, temperature, and other quantities was created. It has been repeatedly supplemented and improved. As a result, the so-called International System of Units (SI) was developed, based on seven basic units: meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, mole and candela.
Currently, all countries of the world, except for three, have adopted this standard as the main or only one. The exceptions are the USA, Liberia and Myanmar. That is why Americans, not accustomed to conventional units, often get lost and confused abroad.
Reference
What is accepted for a kilogram? It would seem a strange question, but it is not without meaning. In the Internation althe Bureau of Weights and Measures has the answer, because it is there that the kilogram standard is stored. It is made in the form of a cylinder made of an alloy of platinum and iridium and has a diameter and height of 39.17 mm. So you can see the real kilogram with your own eyes.
