MODULE 2: COMMON UNITS OF MEASURE

2.1 OBJECTIVES
 Be able to explain the different type customary units of measure.
 Be able to convert from one unit of measure to another.
 Be able to use the units associated with each measurement.
 Be able to calculate horsepower
 Be able to explain the SI measurement system
 Be able to explain differences between weight, force, and mass

2.2 INTRODUCTION

All measurements require a unit to define the magnitude of the quantity. One of the
factors that determine the preferred unit is magnitude of the measured variable. For example, in
the customary system, if the distance is large, the preferred unit is the mile. When the distance is
very small, the preferred unit could be in decimal inches or fraction of an inch. The units of
measure can be divided into several categories. The common categories used in agriculture are:

1. Distance 6. Pressure
2. Area 7. Time
3. Temperature 8. Velocity
4. Volume 9. Torque Power
5. Weight or Force 10. Power

2.3 SYSTEM OF UNITS

Modern agriculture uses two systems of units, the US customary system (sometimes
called English or gravimetric system) and the metric or SI system. Units in the US customary
system (English system) are historical units of measurement used in medieval England which
evolved from the Anglo-Saxon and Roman systems. The US Bureau of Weights and Measures
has the responsibility of storing and maintaining the standards for all of the US customary units
of measures. They have the standard foot, the standard yard, the standard pound, etc. All of the
measuring devices used in the United States are based on one of these standards.

A major problem with US customary units is their lack of logical relationship between
units. For instance, there is no obvious reason why the standard mile is 5280 feet. The metric
system was created in the late eighteenth century by the French to address this problem.

One of the advantages of the SI system is that all of the units are based on natural
phenomena. For example, a meter is the distance light travels, in a vacuum, in 1/299,792,458 th of
a second. The US agricultural industry is based on customary units of measure; however, many
manufactures are converting to SI units, and agriculture has become more international in buying
and marketing products. The SI system is a decimal-based system. To use the different units
requires knowing the prefixes used for the different powers of 10 (Table 2.1).

Table 2.1 Prefixes for SI Units

2.4 BASIC MEASURES OF QUANTITIES
2.4.1 Length
a. English Units
The basic units for length or distance measurements in the English system are
the inch, foot, yard, and mile. Other units of length also include the rod, furlong, and
chain.

b. Metric Units
The basic unit of length in the SI system is the meter. The meter was originally
intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole (at
sea level). The meter has since been redefined as the distance travelled by light in a
vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds (i.e. the speed of light in a vacuum is 299,792,458
m/sec).
 c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.2 Area
a. English Units
In English system, areas are typically given in square feet or square yards. For
larger area measurements, the acre or square mile may be used.

b. Metric Units
Areas in the metric system are given is square meters while larger
measurements are given in hectares. The principle of area for SI units is the same as
customary units. It is two distances multiplied together. The units become millimeters
squared, etc. In the customary system, the standard unit of land measurement is the
acre. In the SI units, it is the hectare

c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.3 Volume
a. English Units
Volumes in the English system are typically given in cubic feet or cubic yards.
Additional units of volume are also used, such as gallon, quart, pint, and cup.

b. Metric Units
Volumes in the metric system are given in cubic meters. The standard unit of
volume for the SI system is liter. A liter is defined as 1000 cubic centimeters.

c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.4 Mass
The mass of an object is often referred to as its weight though these are different
concepts and quantities. Mass refers to the amount of matter in an object, whereas
weight refers to the force experienced by an object due to gravity. In other words, an
object with a specific mass will weigh more on the Earth than the moon.
a. English Units

b. Metric Units

c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.5 Temperature
a. English Units
 The Fahrenheit scale, or degrees Fahrenheit (°F), is used in the United States to
measure temperature. On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is 32°F
while the boiling point is 212°F at standard atmospheric pressure. The boiling and
freezing points of water are exactly 180 degrees apart, making each degree Fahrenheit
1/180 of the interval between the two points.
b. Metric Units
The Celsius scale, or degrees Celsius (°C), is used the metric system to measure
temperature. On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water is 0°C while the
boiling point is 100°C at standard atmospheric pressure. The boiling and freezing
points of water are exactly 100 degrees apart, making each degree Celsius 1/100 of
the interval between the two points.
c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.6 Force
Force is that action which causes or tends to cause motion or a change of motion
of an object. To describe a force completely, its direction of action, magnitude, and
point of application must be known. What is commonly referred to as a “force” is really
two forces, as forces are never present singly but always in pairs. The two parts are
called action and reaction. They are always of equal magnitude but in opposite
directions.
a. English Units
Forces are commonly measured in units of ounces (oz), pounds (lb), and tons
(ton) in the U.S. customary system.
b. Metric Units
The SI unit of force is the newton (N), the unit of mass is the kilogram, and the
unit of acceleration is meter/second2 (m/s2). In the SI system, the mass of the body is
specified, and the force is caused by gravity.
2.4.7 Time
The concept of time has its root in the natural cycles of the earth. One very visible
cycle is the ocean tides. The words time and tide both come from the same root. The
current idea of time is as a measure of an interval of duration. Time may be better
described as an accounting technique for relating events. The common units for time
are seconds (sec), minutes (min), and hours (hr).
The units used to measure time are the same for both the U.S. customary and SI
units.
2.4.8 Pressure
Pressure is the amount of force or thrust exerted over a given area. Pressure is the
combination of two units, force, and area. Because there is less overlying atmospheric
mass as elevation increases, pressure decreases with increasing elevation. The standard
atmosphere (atm) is an international reference for pressure.
a. English Units
The U.S. customary units for pressure will be a combination of these two,
lb/in2, oz/in2, lb/ft2, etc.

b. Metric Units
Air pressure is measured in millimeters mercury (mmHg) or millibars (mbars)
in the metric system, but may also be measured in pascals or kilopascals.
Pressure is force per unit area. In the SI system, a combination of force and area
can be used, but the preferred unit is a newton per meter squared (N/m2) which is
commonly called a Pascal (Pa). Therefore,

c. English to Metric Conversions

2.4.9 Velocity
Velocity is the time rate of movement. Velocity is also a combined unit. It is the
combination of distance and time.
a. English Units. The common units of velocity are ft/min, mi/hr, etc.
b. Metric Units
Velocity and speed are measured by determining a distance and the time it takes
to travel the distance. The standard unit for distance in the SI system is meters, and
the standard unit for time is seconds; therefore, the SI units for velocity are meters per
second (m/s). Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes. The units in the SI
system are m/s/s or m/s2. The units of acceleration in the U.S. customary system are
ft/s/s or ft/s2.
2.4.10 Work
Work (W) is the result of a force acting (or moving) through a distance. Written
as an equation:

In the SI system, force is measured in units of newton and distance in meters. This
means work is measured in units of newton-meters. This is an acceptable unit of
measure for work, but for many calculations, the preferred unit is the joule. One joule is
 the amount of work done when an applied force of 1 newton moves through a distance
of 1 m in the direction of the force.
2.4.11 Power
Power is the rate of doing work. The term rate includes the concept of time, and
work. The equation for power is:

The units of time in the SI system are the same as the customary system. In the SI
system, power is measured in units of joules per second. Measuring power in units of
joules per second is correct, but the preferred unit is the watt (W). One watt is equal to
1 joule per second.
2.4.12 Torque
Torque is the application of a force through a lever arm. It is a force that causes or
tends to cause a twisting or rotary movement. In equation form:

a. English Units
Because force is measured in pounds and length in feet or inches, the common
units of torque are pound-feet (lb-ft) or pound-inches (lb-in).
To distinguish torque from work, torque is written with units with the force unit
first, “pound-feet,” and the units for work are written with the distance unit first,
“foot-pounds.”
There is one additional difference between torque and work. It was stated
earlier that unless there is movement, there is no work. Because torque is a force
working through a lever arm, torque can exist without movement.
b. Metric Units
In the SI system, force is measured in newtons, and distance is measured in
meters. The units for torque are: newtonmeters (N-m).