Gram

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

BIC pen cap, about 1 gram.

For other uses of the words gram or gramme, see gram (disambiguation).

The gram or gramme (Greek/Latin root grámma) symbol g, is a unit of mass.

Originally defined as the mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water at 4°C but now taken as the one one-thousandth of the SI base unit kilogram, or 1×10⁻³ kg, a mass preserved by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

[edit] Examples

All masses are approximate:

• Plastic pen cap (Bic): 1 gram
• A single Smartie: 1 gram
• Paper clip: 0.5 grams to 1.5 grams
• Typical sheet of A4 paper: 5 grams
• 1 US banknote (any denomination): 1 gram[1]
• United States nickel - 5 grams (very accurate when new)

[edit] History

It was the base unit of mass in the original French metric system and the later centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system of units.

[edit] Uses

The gram is today the most widely used unit of measurement for non-liquid ingredients in cooking and grocery shopping worldwide. For food products that are typically sold in quantities far less than 1 kg, the unit price is normally given per 100 g.

Most standards and legal requirements for nutrition labels on food products require relative contents to be stated per 100 g of the product, such that the resulting figure can also be read as a percentage.

[edit] Conversion factors

• 1 grain = 0.06479891 gram
• 1 ounce (avoirdupois) = 28.349523125 grams
• 1 ounce (troy) = 31.1034768 grams

[edit] See also

• Conversion of units
• Gold gram