Cubes are solids having the figure of dice. A cubic inch is a cube each of whose sides is an inch, and so on.
| 1728 | cubic inches are | 1 cubic foot | 1 c. ft. |
| 27 | cubic feet | 1 cubic yard | 1 c. yd. |
This measure is not much used, except in purely mathematical questions. In the measurements of different commodities various measures were used, which are now reduced, by act of parliament, to one. This is commonly called the imperial measure, and is as follows:
MEASURE OF LIQUIDS AND
OF ALL DRY GOODS.
| 4 | gills are | 1 pint | 1 pt. |
| 2 | pints | 1 quart | 1 qt. |
| 4 | quarts | 1 gallon | 1 gall. |
| 2 | gallons | 1 peck[38] | 1 pk. |
| 4 | pecks | 1 bushel | 1 bu. |
| 8 | bushels | 1 quarter | 1 qr. |
| 5 | quarters | 1 load | 1 ld. |
The gallon in this measure is about 277·274 cubic inches; that is, very nearly 277¼ cubic inches.[39]
217. The smallest weight in use is the grain, which is thus determined. A vessel whose interior is a cubic inch, when filled with water,[40] has its weight increased by 252·458 grains. Of the grains so determined, 7000 are a pound averdupois, and 5760 a pound troy. The first pound is always used, except in weighing precious metals and stones, and also medicines. It is divided as follows:
AVERDUPOIS WEIGHT.
| 27 | ¹¹/₃₂ | grainsare | 1 dram | 1 dr. |
| 6 | drams, or drachms | 1 ounce[41] | 1 oz. | |
| 16 | ounces | 1 pound | 1 lb. | |
| 28 | pounds | 1 quarter | 1 qr. | |
| 4 | quarters | 1 hundred-weight | 1 cwt. | |
| 20 | hundred-weight | 1 ton | 1 ton. |
The pound averdupois contains 7000 grains. A cubic foot of water weighs 62·3210606 pounds averdupois, or 997·1369691 ounces.