Most countries of the world susbscribe to le Systčme International, which is a standardised system of weights and measures. SI units of measure were established at the Libra Convention in Paris in 1875, and are based on the traditional Roman system of measures already in use throughout much of Europe. The Convention standardised all the units and authorised the creation of physical standards - the famous platinum pes and libra which serve as standards against which all other measuring devices may be compared for accuracy. These physical standards are on deposit in the French Royal Academy of Sciences; and many countries have produced exact replicas for their own domestic use.
Each measure has a scientific name, which is either of Latin or Greek origin; and a local name, which varies as to local language. Thus, the libra (Latin) has variants in French (livre), English (pound), Brithenig (llifr), etc.
Linear measures: 1 MILLE (mi) = 5000 PEDES [1.48km, .925 mi] 1 STADIUM (st) = 125 ps / 625 p [] 1 PERTICA (pc) = 10 PEDES [] 1 PASSUS (ps) = 5 PEDES [1.48m, 4'11"] 1 PES (p) = 12 UNCIAE [29.6cm] 1 UNCIA (uc) = 16sc or 12 dc [2.467cm] 1 DOCICULA (dc) = [0.083uc, 2.06mm] 1 SESTICULA (sc) = [0.0625uc, 1.54mm] 1 UNCICULA (uuc) = [0.000052uc] (The MILLE is short for MILLE PASSUS) Area: 1 JUGERUM (jg) = 120x240 PEDES [.25 hectare, .62 ac] The jugerum is similarly divided into twelfths, each of which is an UNCIAGRIA. Weight: 1 TALENS (tl) = 60 LIBRAE [19.620kg, 45.6lb] 1 LIBRA (lb) = 12 UNCIAE [327g, .76lb] 1 UNCIA (uc) = 8 DRACHMAE [27.25g] 1 DRACHMA (dr) = 60 GRANA [3.41g] 1 GRANUM (gr) [57mg] 1 C of water at 1 atm at 39deg (max. density of water) weighs 10 LIBRAE. Each successive twelfth of a libra or pes is named thus: sextans (2); quadrans (3); triens (4); quincunx (5); semis (6); septunx (7); bessis (8); dodrans (9); dexcunx (10); deunx (11). Volume: 1 AMPHORA (aa) = 8 C. or 1 cu. PES [25.92 l] 1 CONGIUS (C) = 8 O. or 216 UNCIAE [3.24 l] 1 SEXTARIUS (S) = 36 UNCIAE [540 cc] 1 OCTARIUS (O) = 27 UNCIAE [405 cc] 1 UNCIA (fl.uc) = 8 DRACHMAE [15 cc] 1 DRACHMA (fl.dr) = 60 GUTTAE [1.875cc] 1 GUTTA (gtt) = [0.03cc] Household: 1 CALICULA (cx) = 6 fl.uc. (a lg. cup) 1 POCLUM (P) = 4 fl.uc. (a sm. cup) 1 fl UNCIA (fl.uc) = 2 CONCHA 1 CONCHA (CC) = 4 COCHLEA (tablespoon) 1 COCHLEA (cc) = 1 fl DRACHMA (teaspoon) Time: 1 ANNUM (an) = 365.242190 DIES [1 tropical year] 1 DIES (ds) = 24 HORAE [1 day] 1 HORA (hr) = 60 MINUTAE [1 hr] 1 MINUTA (min) = 60 SECUNDA [1 min] 1 SECUNDA (sec) = 60 TRISAE [60 trices] 1 TRISA (ts) = 60 QUADRISAE [1/60 sec] 1 QUADRISA (qs) = [1/60 trice] (The MINUTA and SECUNDA are short for PARS MINUTA and PARS MINUTA SECUNDA respectively. The ANNUM is used mostly in astronomical observations.) Temperature: The official SI scale for temperature is called the Sextigrade scale, and was arrived at by comparing and synthesising the 60 degree scales devised by Celsius and Roemer. While its degrees are officially called GRADUS SEXTIGRADIS, the scale is best known as the "Celsius scale". Some handy figures: 0 deg C = freezing point of water at 1atm of pressure 13 deg C = pleasant room temperature 16 deg C = a rather warm day 21.5 deg C = a hot day 23 deg C = normal human body temperature (oral) 24 deg C = summer day in Casablanca 60 deg C = boiling point of water at 1atm of pressure If you're into candy making, mark these in your cookbooks! Thread Stage -- 66-67.2C Soft-Ball Stage -- 67.2-69C Firm-Ball Stage -- 70.8-72C Hard-Ball Stage -- 72.6-78C Soft-Crack Stage -- 79.2-85.8C Hard-Crack Stage -- 89.4-92.4C Lord Kelvin developped an absolute temperature scale using the same basic degree scale but based upon absolute zero - the point at which molecular energy is at a minimum. Absolute zero, or 0 deg K, is equal to -163.89 deg C. Many other temperature scales are or have been in use by various countries around the world, notably Farenheit, Roemer and Reaumur. Computer Memory: bit word(4 bits) byte(8 bits) tryte(64 bytes) quadryte(4096 bytes) quintyte(216.000 bytes) hexyte(12.960.000 bytes) Metal Purity: 1 LOTHIA, lode (ld) = 1.000 silver (16/16ths) 1 CARRATUS, carat (ct) = 1.000 gold (24/24ths) The ten most popular fractions of metal purity. Current FK coins are 15 ld (traditional) and 13 ld for silver and 22 ct (traditional) and 15 ct for gold. LOTHIA CARRATUS 16/16 = 1.000 24/24 = 1.000 15/16 = 0.938 22/24 = 0.917 14/16 = 0.875 21/24 = 0.875 13/16 = 0.813 18/24 = 0.750 12/16 = 0.750 15/24 = 0.625 10/16 = 0.625 14/24 = 0.583 08/16 = 0.500 12/24 = 0.500 06/16 = 0.375 10/24 = 0.417 04/16 = 0.250 09/24 = 0.375 02/16 = 0.125 06/24 = 0.250 Precious metals are weighed in SI ounces, there being no distinction between avoirdupoise (usual) and troy (metals) weights as there is *here*. Thus, a bullion piece of silver might be sold as a "2 oz 15 ld farthing", which means that the piece of metal in question weighs 54.5g and is of .938 fineness. Other local or traditional units exist as well, though have largely been brought in line with the SI units. 1 mark (an old unit of metals weight) = 2/3lb = 218.0g. 1 farthing (another old metal weight) = 1/6lb or 1/4 mark = 54.5g The Indian Standard measures conform in part to SI standards: Weights 1 rattika (r) = 3 GRANA (0.19 g) 5 rattikas = 1 masha 1,000 mashas = 1 karsha 30 karshas = 1 tola 5 tolas = 1 grena Linear 1 angula = No Equiv. (3.0 cm) 5 angulas = 1 hasta 56 hastas = 1 danda 1,000 dandas = 1 kosa 3 kosas = 1 yojana Time 1 pala = 1 SEC 60 palas = 1 ksana 60 ksanas = 1 hora 24 horas = 1 dina The native measurement system of the RTC: 1 mila wenedka = [ca. 8,500 m] < mile passuum 1 stadz' = [ca. 1,066 m] < stadium 1 przotka = [457,20 cm] < pertica 1 cięza = [182,88 cm] < tensa 1 wóllna = [ 60,96 cm] < ulna 1 piedz' = [ 30,48 cm] < pes 1 man = [ 10,16 cm] < manus 1 węcza = [ 2,54 cm] < uncia
In Ill Bethisad, scientific standards are created and maintained by an independent organisation called the International Congress of Chemistry and Physics, or CICEP (the original and official name is Congresse International de Chemie et Physie). CICEP was founded in 1882, after the successes of the Libra Convention in Paris in 1875 which proposed a standardisation of the weights and measures used by science and industry. By the early 20th century, members from the biological and medical sciences as well as engineers were admitted and the organisation expanded to systematise and regulate all scientific and medical nomenclature and terminology.
CICEP members meet regularly, originally at the French Academy of Sciences, but now in many locations around the world, to discuss new advances and issues of terminology. Correct usage, abbreviations and terms are selected by committees and voted on by the members. CICEP is also responsible for creating and maintaining the Encyclopedia of Compounds and the Grand Pharmacopia, which are volumes that describe and define all known chemical elements and compounds, giving their molecular structures and uses. The Encyclopedia is divided into Organic and Inorganic halves.
CICEP hosts international scientific symposia, publishes a number of scientific, engineering and medical journals, sponsors scholarships and schools and operates a public outreach and education programme. CICEP is not affiliated with any government or agancy, nor does it subscribe to any political philosophy. It does maintain an ethical and scientific standard which serve to ensure that any endorsed project or research have met a set of standards for proper scientific research and intellectual integrity.