‘fl. oz.’ vs ‘oz.’
An ‘fl. oz.’ or fluid ounce is the measurement of volume, and ‘oz.’ or dry ounce is the measurement of weight. People often get confused when they try to distinguish between ‘fl. oz.’ or fluid ounce and ‘oz.’ or dry ounce as they think that a fl. oz. is used for measuring liquids and an oz. for solid materials. But the real difference is in the measurement of volume and weight, and it has nothing to do with the property of the materials.
A fl. oz. is equal to about 30 millilitres in the U.S. system, and to about 28 millilitres in the imperial system. When there are 16 fluid ounces in a pint, there are 16 oz. in a pound. When stating it accurately, one U.S. fl. oz. is equal to 29.5735297 millilitres and one oz. is equal to 28.3495231 grams.
‘Ounce,’ which has been abbreviated as ‘oz.’, comes from the Old Italian word ‘onza.’ Oz. or ounce is used in various systems in the U.S. as well as the imperial systems. International avoirdupois oz. and the international troy ounce are the two most famous ounces used the world over. Generally, a fluid ounce is simply termed as an ounce.
For the common man, the fluid oz and the oz. or dry oz. still is a bit confusing. Though commonly used, they might not have looked into the technical aspects of these two ounces. So as said, there need be no confusion regarding a fl. oz. or fluid ounce and an oz. or ounce. The fl. oz. or fluid ounce is for measuring volume, and the oz. or simply dry ounce is for measuring mass.
Summary:
1. People often get confused when they try to distinguish between ‘fl. oz.’ or fluid ounce and ‘oz.’ or dry ounce as they think that a fl. oz. is used for measuring liquids and an oz. for solid materials.
2. The fl. oz. or fluid ounce is for measuring volume, and the oz. or simply dry ounce is for measuring mass.
3. A fl. oz. is equal to about 30 millilitres in the U.S. system and to about 28 millilitres in the imperial system. When stating it accurately, one U.S. fl. oz. is equal to 29.5735297 millilitres and one oz. is equal to 28.3495231 grams.
4. When there are 16 fluid ounces in a pint, there are 16 oz. in a pound.
5. Generally, a fluid ounce is simply termed as an ounce.
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Still confused.
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I agree with you, but only because of the way its explained. The author is basically saying a fluid ounce approximately equals 28-29 grams in weight, which is about 1 ounce in weight. The problem is that this is not true for all liquids because not all liquids are the same weight. If you poured 1 fluid ounce of water in a cup, and then poured 1 fluid ounce of liquid mercury in another cup, and then weighed each one individually, they would be two totally different weight in ounces or grams or whichever weight measurement you choose. The author should have specified that this writeup was for a particular liquid. I assume water.
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