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French units of measurement. France has a unique history of units of measurement due to its radical decision to invent and adopt the metric system after the French Revolution. In the Ancien régime and until 1795, France used a system of measures that had many of the characteristics of the modern Imperial System of units but with no unified system.
Table of length units. 1⁄12 of a ligne. This unit is usually called the Truchet point in English. Prior to the French Revolution the Fournier point was also in use. It was 1⁄6 of a ligne or 1⁄864 of the smaller French foot. 1⁄12 of a pouce. This corresponds to the line, a traditional English unit. 1⁄12 of a pied du roi.
Units in everyday use by country as of 2019 The history of the metric system began during the Age of Enlightenment with measures of length and weight derived from nature, along with their decimal multiples and fractions. The system became the standard of France and Europe within half a century. Other measures with unity ratios [Note 1] were added, and the system went on to be adopted across ...
Metrication or metrification is the act or process of converting to the metric system of measurement. [ 1 ] All over the world, countries have transitioned from local and traditional units of measurement to the metric system. This process began in France during the 1790s, and has persistently advanced over two centuries, accumulating into 95% ...
The General Conference on Weights and Measures (French: Conférence générale des poids et mesures – CGPM), which was established by the Metre Convention of 1875, brought together many international organisations to establish the definitions and standards of a new system and to standardise the rules for writing and presenting measurements ...
Woodcut dated 1800 illustrating the new decimal units which became the legal norm across all France on 4 November 1800. Before the French Revolution, which started in 1789, French units of measurement were based on the Carolingian system, introduced by the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne (800–814 AD) which in turn were based on ancient Roman measures.
Such scales are used to make the most accurate of fine measurements, such as in the needs of empirical chemistry. Avoirdupois (/ ˌævərdəˈpɔɪz, ˌævwɑːrdjuːˈpwɑː /; [ 1 ] abbreviated avdp.) [ 2 ] is a measurement system of weights that uses pounds and ounces as units. [ 3 ][ 4 ] It was first commonly used in the 13th century AD and ...
In Sweden, a common system for weights and measures was introduced by law in 1665. Before that, there were a number of local variants. The system was slightly revised in 1735. In 1855, a decimal reform was instituted that defined a new Swedish inch as 1 ⁄ 10 foot. It did not last long, because the metric system was subsequently introduced in ...