Liquid Measurement and Equivalents

To measure how much volume of liquid will occupy a container, liquid measurement and equivalents help you. There are two systems for measuring, the English and the metric system. The following article will introduce you to both the systems with the help of charts.

Liquids are difficult to measure than solid substances due to the surface tension of liquids. If you closely observe, the surface of the liquid poured in a container is not flat, instead it has a convex shape. This is because of two factors; gravity, that pulls the liquid downwards and the surface tension of the liquid near the sides of the container pulling it gently towards the edges. This makes it very difficult to correctly measure the liquids, especially when the volume is very small.

The dry and liquid measurements that are under a pint are same for all liquid or dry recipes, in America. Many people are confused with the dry measurement equivalents as a measure of weight, and the liquid measurements equivalents as the measure of volume. When you are measuring a liquid, it is very important to find the meniscus. This is the lowest part of the convex shape that is made by the liquid in the measuring container. You should observe the container from the eye level, and if you see the liquid slightly above or below, you may find a little shift in the meniscus and get inaccurate readings.

Once you have located the correct meniscus line, holding the measuring container at eye level, add or remove the liquid, till you have the desired volume in the container. If you can’t locate a meniscus, it means that your container is dirty, and hence, the container cannot hold the correct surface tension of the liquid.

You can use many types of measuring containers to measure liquid. To measure smallest amount of liquid in cubic centimeters, you can use the burette. To measure more volume, use the graduated cylinder. To measure a drop, you can use syringes and dropper. You may find measuring spoons and measuring cups that have marking of the English system or the metric system or both. Now, let us see the liquid measurements equivalents using the chart for liquid measurement.

These are a few liquid measurement tables and dry measurement tables that you may find useful when measuring liquids and dry ingredients. The ounce and the pound are the most common units of weight or mass measurement for cooking in the US. The ounce of weight is not same as the ounce of fluid. There are many kinds of weight measurements, like the Troy weight, Apothecaries weight, and the Avoirdupois weight. If you are in US and someone refers to measurements, like pounds and ounces of weight while cooling, they are generally referring to the Avoirdupois weight. We hope you have found this article in liquid measurements and equivalents useful.

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