348 Appendix E
Capacity
The customary system uses ounce to measure capacity, but an ounce measured by capacity is not
necessarily equivalent to an ounce of mass. If you have an ounce of something (capacity), whether
it weighs an ounce or not depends on what it is.Unit Approximation Conversion
Ounce A little container of coffee cream
Cup A container of coffee 8 ounces = 1 cup
Pint A small container of ice cream 2 cups = 1 pint
Quart A container of milk 2 pints = 1 quart
Gallon A large can of paint 4 quarts = 1 gallonConversion
Although you may not often need to convert from one system of measurement to another, when
you are, you may not have the tools or formulas handy to make an exact conversion. Here are
some rules of thumb that can help you make an approximate conversion.- An inch is about 2.5 centimeters.
- A meter is a little more than a yard. A meter is about 39 inches and a yard is 36 inches.
- A mile is about 1.6 kilometers.
- A liter is a little more than a quart.
- A kilogram is about 2.2 pounds.
WORLDLY WISDOM
A famous number sequence, called the Fibonacci sequence, is easy to re-create and
can be used for quick, approximate conversions of length and distance. The Fibonacci
sequence begins with two ones, then forms each of the next terms by adding the two
previous terms.
1, 1, 1 + 1
1, 1, 2, 1 + 2
1, 1, 2, 3, 2 + 3
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,...
Two adjacent terms of the Fibonacci sequence can give you a rough conversion of
miles and kilometers. For example, 5 kilometers is approximately 3 miles, (3.10686
miles) and 8 kilometers is approximately 5 miles (4.97097).