Avoirdupois

Avoirdupois [ ˌ ævədəpɔɪz, ævwɑ ˌ ː ː dju pwɑ ː ] is an Anglo-American system of measurement for mass, consisting based on a pound of 16 ounces. It is a traditional commercial weight and is not used for precious metals and medicines. Here is the troy ounce and Troy ounce use. Although it was officially replaced by the metric system, it is still prevalent in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and its former colonies in everyday life.

Term

The word avoirdupois is derived from the old French aveir de peis and in the 15th century the Middle English avoir de pois, meaning loosely translated as the weight of goods ( aveir: goods, possessions; avoir: have; peis or pois: weight).

Definition and conversion

The following table shows the conversions of units of the avoirdupois system. The pound as the basic unit is defined to exactly 453.59237 g of the metric system since 1 July 1959. Before 1959 was in the United Kingdom, the mass of a corresponding weight piece as a base; this was determined to be about 453.592338 g. In the U.S., there were 1893 to 1959 with the Mendenhall Order already has a definition in the metric system, according to which the mass of the avoirdupois pound was exactly 453.5924277 g.