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The heaviness of an object is called its weight. In other words, how much an object weighs is termed as the weight of an object. The customary units of weight are ton, pound and ounces. We can convert one unit to another. On conversion, the value of the measurement does not change but the same value is expressed differently as it would be written in different units.
Units of Weight Conversion Formula
1 ton(T) = 2,000 pounds(lb)
1 Pound (lb) = 16 ounces(oz)
We multiply, to convert larger units to smaller units.
1 ton = 2,000 pounds = 32,000 ounces
We divide, to convert smaller units into larger units.
1 ounce \(=\frac{1}{16}\) pound \(=\frac{1}{32,000}\) ton
Rapid Recall
Let’s visually summarize the conversion of tons to pounds to ounces and from ounces to pounds to tons:
Solved Examples
Example 1: Find the number of ounces in 20 pounds (lb).
Solution:
In 1 pound there are 16 ounces(oz)
So, in 20 pounds , there are \(20\times 16=320\) ounces(oz)
Example 2: Find the number of pounds(oz) in 5 tons(T).
Solution:
In 1 ton(T) there are 2000 pounds(lb)
So, In 5 tons(T), there are \(5\times 2000=10,000\) pounds(lb)
Example 3: Convert the following
a. 192 ounces(oz) to pounds(lb)
b. 8200 pounds (lb) to tons(T)
c. 6400 ounces (oz) to tons(T)
Solution:
a. 1 ounce \(=\frac{1}{16}\) pounds(lb)
192 ounces \(=\frac{192}{16}\) = 12 pounds
b. 1 pound(lb) \(=\frac{1}{2,000}\) tons(T)
8200 pounds(lb) \(=\frac{8,200}{2,000}\) = 4.1 tons(T)
c. 1 ounce \(=\frac{1}{32,000}\) ton(T)
6,400 ounces(oz) = \(=\frac{6,400}{32,000}\) = 0.2 tons(T)
Example 4: For the construction of a building, 40,000 pounds(lb) of concrete is required. The site engineer calculated that 18 tons of concrete would be needed. Did he calculate right?
Solution: We need to convert 40,000 pound (lb) into tons.
1 pound(lb) \(=\frac{1}{2,000}\) tons(T)
Concrete needed = 40,000 pounds(lb) \(=\frac{40,000}{2,000}\) = 20 tons(T)
The workers need 20 tons(T) of concrete but the site engineer has calculated that only 18 tons of concrete would be needed. This means his calculation was wrong.
Example 5: There were two bags of potatoes, A and B. Bag A weighs 130 pounds and bag B weighs 0.06 ton. Which is heavier?
Solution:
To compare two quantities, their units have to be the same.
Weight of Bag A = 130 pounds
Weight of Bag B = 0.06 ton
\(=0.06\times 2000=120\) pounds
130 pounds > 120 pounds
Hence Bag A is heavier.
The units of measurement in the metric system are called metric units or SI units(International System of Units). The units include meter, kilogram, gram, milligrams, liter, milliliters etc.
The units of measurement in the customary system of measurement are called customary units. The units include, foot, inches, mile, yard, pound, ton, pint, quart, gallons, etc.
The metric units of capacity include liters(L) and milliliters (mL). 1 liter is 1000 milliliters. Other units can be derived as well, such as kiloliter, dekaliter, hectoliter and so on.
In physics, mass and weight are not the same thing but for our simplicity, we consider them as the same thing whenever we need to quantify the quantity of matter. Technically the unit of weight is “Newton” and the unit of mass is “kg” in the metric system.
The metric units of length are millimeters, centimeters, kilometers, etc. The customary unit of lengths are foot, inches, yard and mile.