Gram
The gram or gramme symbol g, is a
unit of
mass.
Originally defined as the mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water at 4C but now taken as the one one-thousandth of the SI base unit
kilogram, or 110-3 kg, a mass preserved by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Encyclopedia
The
gram or
gramme 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.
Examples
All masses are approximate:
- Plastic pen cap : 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 : 1 gram
- United States nickel - 5 grams
History
It was the base unit of mass in the original French
metric system and the later centimetre-gram-second system of units.
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.
Conversion factors
- 1 grain = 0.06479891 gram
- 1 ounce = 28.349523125 grams
- 1 ounce = 31.1034768 grams
See also
- Conversion of units
- Gold gram
