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Paris - Unit measures

This document provides a summary of most of the units of measurement to be found in use in the world today. It is handy to be able to translate "new" units into the ones you are familiar with and for this purpose, we have listed the appropriate conversion factors needed to change a unit of measure into another one.

Based on a few years old survey, the only other countries that have not officially adopted the metric system are Liberia (in western Africa) and Myanmar (also known as Burma, in southeast Asia). These two countries did not have an official policy of converting to metric, at least at the time of the survey. Most other countries have either used the metric system for many years, or have adopted the metric system within the last 30 years. Although there is some controversy about how to define whether a country is metric, the fact remains that among countries with non-metric usage the U.S. is the only significant holdout .

Use of the metric system is ever growing, especially linked with the wider acceptance of global standards which are mostly in metric measurements. In the 1970s, most British Commonwealth nations changed from the Imperial system of units to the metric system.

Area

1 acre = 4.046 m2
This can be of help when choosing a house or a flat, because in France we talk in square meters.

Distance

Length - conversion factors

  • Metric to Imperial
    When you know millimeters multiply by 0,04 to find inches
    When you know centimeters multiply by 0,4 to find  inches
    When you know meters multiply by 3,3 to find feet
    When you know kilometers multiply by 0,6 to find miles
  • Imperial to metric
    When you know inches multiply by 2,54 to find centimeters
    When you know feet  multiply by 30 to find centimeters
    When you know yards multiply by 0,9to find meters
    When you know miles multiply by 1,6to find kilometers

Temperature

conversion factors

  • When you know Celsius  multiply by 9 , divide by 5 , add 32 to find Fahrenheit
  • When you know Celsius  add   273.16 to find  Kelvin
  • When you know Fahrenheit subtract 32 , multiply by 5 , divide by 9 to find Fahrenheit
  • When you know Kelvin subtract 273.16 to find  Celsius.

Weight

100 grams   = 3 1/2 ounces
1000 grams   = 1 kilogram
1 kilogram  = 2.2 pounds
1 ounce  = 28.35 grams
16 ounces  = 1 pound
1 pound  = 453.6 grams

Conversion factors

  • Metric to Imperial
    When you know grams  multiply by  0,035 to find ounces
    When you know kilograms  multiply by  2,2 to find pounds
  • Imperial to metric
    When you know ounces  multiply by  0,45 to find kilograms

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