[net.cooks] Imperial vs US units of volume

jhc (11/03/82)

I agree with Chuck Young that a gill is 1/4 pint, but I remember
being taught that a pint was 20 fl. oz. (yes I'm English).
This means that a gill is 5 fl. oz., not 4. This could throw
off your conversions. Perhaps the originator of the
Green Tomato Chutney recipe would care to re-check the
quantities and post the `original' amounts.

				Jonathan Clark
				BTL Holmdel
				...{houxi|lime}!hou5a!jhc

bcw (11/05/82)

From:	Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University
Re:	Imperial vs US units of fluid volume

There are a number of errors in the discussion about US vs Imperial liquid
measure.  First of all, 1 gill US = 4 fl. oz. US, while 1 gill Imperial =
5 fl. oz. Imperial.  The ratios of the other measures (pints, quarts, and
gallons) is identical in both measures.  Which would make it appear that
1 gal US = 4/5 gal Imperial, except ... the fl. oz. is different for US
and Imperial measure:  1 fl. oz. US = 1.804 cu. in., while 1 fl. oz.
Imperial = 1.7339 cu. in.  The ratios of fluid ounces, fluid drams, and
minims is identical for both measures (so that the US and Imperial measures
have the same ratios for fl. oz., fl. dr., and min.;  and also the same
ratios for gills, pints, quarts, and gallons;  but the ratios between
anything >= gills and anything <= fl. oz. is different).

Isn't English measurement fun???  Not confusing or irregular like the
Metric system...

			Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University