Ounce

The ounce is a unit of mass in the imperial and US customary systems, equal to 1/16 of a pound or approximately 28.35 grams. It is commonly used for measuring food portions, precious metals, and small objects.

The ounce has ancient origins, with the word coming from the Latin 'uncia,' meaning 'one-twelfth.' Originally, it was one-twelfth of the Roman pound, but it evolved to become one-sixteenth of the modern pound.

The ounce is one of the most versatile units of mass, used across many different fields including cooking, precious metals, postal services, and pharmaceuticals. It provides a practical scale for everyday measurements.

Ounces are widely used in cooking and baking for measuring ingredients, especially in the United States. They are the standard unit for most recipes and food packaging in countries that use imperial units.

In precious metals trading, ounces are used for measuring gold, silver, and other precious metals. In postal services, ounces are used for determining postage rates and package weights.

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, ounces are used for measuring active ingredients and formulations, particularly in the United States. In chemistry, ounces are used for measuring small quantities of reagents.

In nutrition and dietetics, ounces are used for measuring food portions and nutritional content. In retail, ounces are used for pricing and packaging of small items like spices and cosmetics.

The ounce is defined as exactly 1/16 of a pound in both the imperial and US customary systems. In the metric system, one ounce is approximately 28.35 grams.

The ounce's relationship to the pound (16 oz = 1 lb) and its approximate metric equivalent (1 oz ≈ 28.35 g) makes it easy to convert between imperial and metric units.