1. TIME

    1000 milliseconds = 1 second (sec)

    60 seconds = 1 minute (min)

    60 minutes = 1 hour (hr)

    24 hours = 1 day

    7 days = 1 week (wk)

    28, 30 or 31 days = 1 month (mth)

    12 months = 1 year (yr)

    365 days = 1 year

    BUT every 4th year = 366 days (a leap year)

    Also note:

    52 weeks = 1 year (approximately)

    People often use the following terms:

    48 hours (2 days)

    72 hours (3 days)

    2. DISTANCE

    There are two systems for measuring distance in the English-

    speaking world:

    a) metric

    10 millimetres (mm) = 1 centimetre (cm)

    100 centimetres = 1 metre (m)

    1000 metres = 1 kilometre (km)

    b) imperial/US

    12 inches (in) = 1 foot (ft)

    3 feet = 1 yard (yd) (approximately 1 metre)

    1760 yards = 1 mile (approximately 1.6 km)

    3. AREA

    Area is the extent of a surface. It is 2-dimensional. Area

    is often expressed using the word "square" + the distance.

    For example, if a room is 10 metres long and 5 metres wide,

    it is 50 square metres (50 sq. m). But we can also use the

    distance + the figure 2. Then we would write 50m2.

    Here are two examples:

    My table is 3 metres long x 2 metres wide:

    area = 6 sq.m, or

    area = 6m2

    My town is 3 miles x 4 miles:

    area = 12 sq. miles

    We often measure the area of land using:

    hectare = 10,000 square metres

    acre = 4,840 square yards

    Warning!

    There is a difference between "square metres" and "metres

    square". If my room is 10 feet x 10 feet, it is 100 square

    feet but 10 feet square. We can only say this when the

    length and the width are the same.

   4. VOLUME

    Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object or

    enclosed in a container. It is 3-dimensional. Volume is

    often expressed using the word "cubic" + the distance. For

    example, if a room is 5 metres long, 3 metres wide and

    3 metres high, it is 45 cubic metres (45 cu. m). But we can

    also use the distance + the figure 3. So we write 45m3.

    Other measurements of volume are:

    - 1000 cubic centimetres (cc) = 1 litre (L or l)

    - gallon (approx. 4.6 litres in UK, approx. 3.8 liters in US)

    We use litres to talk about fluids like drinks and petrol.

    We also use gallons to talk about petrol and other fluids.

    5. SPEED

    Speed is a measurement that combines distance, quantity,

    volume etc AND time. Common ways of talking about the speed

    of a car, for example, are:

    - 50 miles per hour (50mph)

    - 50 kilometres per hour (50kph)

    We also use the symbol / when talking about speed:

    - 50 people/hour (50 people per hour)

    - 1000 l/hr (1000 litres per hour)

    6. WEIGHT

    There are two systems to measure how heavy something is:

    a) metric

    1000 grams (g) = 1 kilogram (kg)

    1000 kilograms = 1 metric ton (metric tonne)

    b) imperial/US

    16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)

    14 pounds = 1 stone (British)

    100 pounds = 1 hundredweight (cwt)*

    20 hundredweights = 1 ton*