Odiran Standard Units

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The Odiran Standard Units are the standard system of units in use on Odira. English translations are given for the unit names

Contents

Modern Standard System

Time

Time is, as on Earth, based on divisions of the day. The Galhafan day is 25 hours, 26 minutes, and 55 seconds in Earth time.

  • 1 Day = 60 Daymins - 25 hr 26m 55s
  • 1 Daymin = 60 Daysecs - 25 min 26.915 sec (1/60 day)
  • 1 Daysec = 60 Daytrices - 25.449 sec (1/3600 day)
  • 1 Daytrice = .42414 seconds (1/216000 day)

Historically, there was a unit, the "hour", equal to 1/12 day, or 5 daymins. That unit has fallen out of usage, however. The day is traditionally also divided into 4 quarters of 15 daymins each (historically, the quarters were defined as sunrise-noon, noon-sunset, sunset-midnight, midnight-sunrise, but are now simply equal divisions of the day).

The day begins at Daymin 1, which begins 15 daymins after mean midnight (thus, averaging at dawn). Daymins are counted from 1-60 while daysecs and daytrices are counted from 0-59 (1:00:00 is the beginning of the day, 60:59:59 is the end)

Distance

The basic unit of length is the fathom, which was originally defined as twice the distance an object falls in 1 daytrice on Galhaf (specifically, at sea level at 45­° N latitude, in a vacuum). This makes it approximately 170 cm or 5'7" (hence, the gravitational acceleration on Galhaf is exactly 1 fathom per daytrice²). Today, it is defined in terms of the speed of light. Not all units are in common use in modern times. Bolded units are common use

  • 1 (Great) League = 5 Small Leagues = 12.2193 km (7.59275 mi)
  • 1 Small League = 12 Furlongs = 2.44387 km (1.51855 mi)
  • 1 Furlong = 120 Fathoms = 203.656 m (668.162 ft)
  • 1 Fathom = 4 Cubits = 169.713 cm (5'6.8162")
  • 1 Cubit = 6 Hands = 42.4283 cm (16.7040")
  • 1 Hand = 4 Fingers = 7.07138 cm (2.78401")
  • 1 Finger = 3 Grains = 1.76784 cm (.696001")
  • 1 Grain = 5.892813 mm (.232000")

Simplified to commonly used units

  • 1 League = 60 Furlongs = 7,200 Fathoms = 172,800 Hands = 2,073,600 Grains
  • 1 Furlong = 120 Fathoms = 2,880 Hands = 34,560 Grains
  • 1 Fathom = 24 Hands = 288 Grains
  • 1 Hand = 12 Grains

Area

In modern times, area is commonly measured in terms of length, e.g., square fathom, square league, etc. Several traditional units remain in common use, however.

Land Area

  • Secondland - 1/60 of a minuteland, thus 1/900 square furlongs or 16 square fathoms (46.0842 m2, 496.046 ft2)
  • Minuteland - 1/60 of a houseland (see below), thus 1/15 square furlong or 960 square fathoms (2,765.05 m2, .683259 acres, 29,762.8 ft2)
  • Houseland - Traditionally, the area required to support a single household. Standardized as 4 square furlongs (1/900 square league; 16.5903 ha, 40.9955 acres)
  • Warland - 6 Houselands; traditionally the area of land expected to produce 1 soldier in time of war (99.5418 ha, 245.973 acres)
  • Shipland - 150 Houselands (1/4 square league; 24.8855 km2, 9.60833 mi2; traditionally, the area that would produce 1 warship in time of war

Minuteland remains common for measuring property, with houseland used for large properties. Warland and shipland are largely obsolete. Secondland is sometimes used for small areas, such as gardens, although square fathoms have become more common in recent times.

Buildings

The square fathom (2.88025 m2, 31.0028 ft2) is becoming increasingly common for measuring the area of buildings and rooms. Panels were traditionally used for rooms. A panel was historically defined as 1 fathom by 1 cubit (4 square cubits or 1/4 square fathom; .720063 m2, 7.75069 ft2). These are still sometimes found.

Volume

The basic unit of volume is the barrel equal to one cubic cubit (76.3778 L or 20.1769 gal). As in length, not all units are in common use.

  • 1 Cubic fathom = 8 Octets = 4,888.18 L (1,291.32 gal) (cube 1 fathom on a side)
  • 1 Octet = 8 Barrels = 611.022 L (161.415 gal) (cube 2 cubits on a side)
  • 1 Barrel = 8 Jars = 76.3778 L (20.1769 gal) (1 cubit cubed)
  • 1 Jar = 8 Sesters = 9.54722 L (10.0884 qt) (3 hands cubed)
  • 1 Sester = 8 Gills = 1.19340 L (40.3537 oz) (6 fingers cubed)
  • 1 Gill = 27 Spoons = 149.175 mL (5.04422 oz) (3 fingers cubed)
  • 1 Spoon = 5.52501 mL (1.12094 tsp) (1 cubic finger)

Simplified

  • 1 Octet = 8 Barrels = 512 Sesters = 4,096 Gills = 110,592 Spoons
  • 1 Barrel = 64 Sesters = 512 Gills = 13,824 Spoons
  • 1 Sester = 8 Gills = 216 Spoons
  • 1 Gill = 27 Spoons

Sesters and gills are the most common units for most purposes, with spoons used for small quantities. Octets tend to be used for measuring very large quantities of liquids, such as production of a brewery or dairy, or volume of a pool, or gas sold at a gas station. Barrels are common for medium quantities, such as water bills.

Cubic fathom is common in scientific settings for measuring large quantities. It's also used for such purposes as measuring oil reserves and the like.

Mass

The basic unit of mass is the Talent, equal to the mass of one barrel of water (76.3778 kg or 168.384 lb)

  • 1 Talent = 8 Octals = 76.3778 kg (168.384 lb)
  • 1 Octal = 12 Pounds = 9.54723 kg (21.0480 lb)
  • 1 Pound = 12 Ounces = 795.602 g (28.0640 oz)
  • 1 Ounce = 12 Spoon-weight = 66.3002 g (2.33867 oz)
  • 1 Spoon-weight = 12 Bits = 5.52501 g (85.2640 grains)
  • 1 Bit = 25 (International) Grains = 460.418 mg (7.10533 grains)
  • 1 (International) Grain = 18.4167 mg (.284213 grains)

Simplified

  • 1 Talent = 8 Octals = 96 Pounds = 1,152 Ounces = 4,147,200 Grains
  • 1 Octal = 12 Pounds = 144 Ounces = 518,400 Grains
  • 1 Pound = 12 Ounces = 43,200 Grains
  • 1 Ounce = 3600 Grains

Human weights are commonly measured in octals and quarters of an octal, e.g., one might give a weight as being "6¾ octals", that is around 64 kg, 140 lb

Note: the International Grain is approximately 1.094 Traditional Grains.

Temperature

The freezing point of water is 12° while the boiling point is 48°. 12° is equivalent to 0°C/32°F, while the boiling point at standard Galhafan atmospheric pressure is 108ºC/226.4°F, making the gradation equal to 3 C° or 5.4 F°

Some Archaic Systems

Eastern Traders' Standard Weights

This system used as its basis the weight of a cube of silver 1 (archaic) finger to a side. This old Finger was slightly larger than the modern Finger, approximately 1.79 cm (4.56"). This standard weight, called a Traders' Unit, was equal to 60.59 g (2.14 oz). It was mostly used for measuring the mass of silver coins. Most of the states of the Eastern Region adjusted their coins' weights to be even fractions of the pound

  • 1 Talent = 60 pounds
  • 1 Pound = 12 Traders' Units = 727.1 g (1.603 lb)
  • 1 Traders' Unit = 60 Big Grains = 60.59 g (2.137 oz)
  • 1 Big Grain = 60 Little Grains = 1.010 g (15.58 grains)
  • 1 Little Grain = 16.83 mg (.2597 grains)
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