University of San Carlos of Guatemala

Faculty of Engineering
Technical Language 1
Inga. Nathalie Lopez
Section N

Units of measure used in Guatemala

Name
Javier Bmaca Valle
Jorge Estuardo Alonzo
Jorge Pumay

ID
2012-13551
2009 15485
2012-13421

Guatemala June 14, 2016

Introduction

Guatemala is a country with diversity of cultures that do the riches respect to

measures, because Guatemala use the metric system and the English system and
other system adapted for the culture of origin on Guatemala. That is important,
because any people that visit the country must be adapted at the system of
measure.

Guatemalans use the metric system, but also some traditional units of
measurement (that come from Spain) and influence from US English units. For
example, I can buy gas by the gallon, and drive stretches of road on kilometers,
and you plant corn by the cuerda.

So, in this report we try the explain how function about the measure system in
guatemala, and we show the most frequently measurements.

Objetives

To research the diferents existing measurements systems.

To know the cases in which each measurements systems should be applied.

To know the measurements system use en different countries

System measurement units

Systems units are conveniently drivepools interrelated used to measure different
magnitudes (length, weight, volume, etc.). There are several systems of units,
which are:

International System of Units.

Metric system.
Cegesimal system.
Technical System of Units.

Length units
Length units to measure the length, width and height of different objects, that is to
say, measured in one dimension.

Mass units
The mass is the quantity of matter possessing the bodies , which is composed of
atoms that are located in the nucleus of these.

Surface units
The surface measurements are used to measure the surface (area or size) of
objects having two dimensions.

Volume units
The volume is a metric scalar magnitude of the extension defined as a threedimensional region of space. It is a derived quantity length as is found by
multiplying the length, width and height.

Units of measurement
The units of measurement is a definitive magnitude of a quantity, defined and
adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a stander for measurement of the
same quantity in any country.

The definition, agreement and practical use of units of measurement have played a
crucial role in human endeavor from early ages up to this day. Each country or
regions have a different systems of units, now exist a one that is named
International System of Units (SI) that is the modern form of metric system.

The traditional systems

Historically many of the systems of measurement which had been in use were to
some extent based on the dimensions of the human body. As a result, units of
measure could vary not only from location to location, but from person to person.

1. The metric systems

A number of metric systems of units have enolved since the adoption of the
original metric system in France 1971, but the current international standard
metric system is the International System of Units. An important feature of
modern system is standardization. Each unit has a universally recognized
size.
Both the imperial units and de US customary units derive from earlier
English Units. Imperial units were mostly used in the British Commonwealth
and the former British Emprie.

2. The natural systems

While the above systems of units are based on arbitrary unit values,
formalized as standards, some unit values occur naturally in science. The
system of units based on these are called natural units. Similar to natural
units, atomic units, etc.

3. International system of units

The most used. Its basic units are the meter, kilogram, second , the ampere,
the kelvin , candela and mole. The other units are derived from International
System.
4. Cegesimal system.

It is a system of units based on the centimeter, gram and second .

Its name is an acronym for these three units.

5. Technical system of units

A technical system is any system units units in which is taken as magnitudes

fundamental length , strength , time and temperature. There is no
standardized technical system formally , but usually this name is applied
specifically to the system based on metric that takes the meter or centimeter
as the unit of length, as unit kilopondio force, the second as time unit and
calorie or kilocalorie as unit amount of heat

The legal control of weights and measures

To reduce the incidence of retail fraud, many national statutes have standard
definitions of weights and measures that may be used (hence statute measure)
and these are verified by legal officers.

Base and derived Units

The different system of units are based on different choices of a set of base units.
The most widely used system of units is the International system of Units, or SI.
There are seven SI base units. All other SI units can be derived from these base
units.
For most quantities a unit is absolutely necessary to communicate values of that
physical quantity. For example, conveying to someone a particular length without
using some sort of unit is impossible, because a length cannot be described
without a reference used to make sense of the value given.
But not all quantities require a unit of their own. Using physical laws, units of
quantities can be expressed as combinations of units of other quantities. Thus only
a small set of units is required. These units are taken as the base units. Other units
are derived units. Derived units are a matter of convenience, as they can be
expressed in terms of basic units. Which units are considered base units is a
matter of choice.

The base units of SI are actually not the smallest set possible. Smaller sets have
been defined. For example, there are unit sets in which the electric and magnetic
field have the same unit. This is based on physical laws that show that electric and
magnetic field are actually different manifestations of the same phenomenon.
To date, the International System of Units, the SI, is made up of seven base units
(between brackets the sole/single symbol representing it):

The metre (m)

The kilogram (kg)
The second (s)
The ampere (A)
The kelvin (K)
The candela (cd)
The mole (mol)

metre (m)
kilogram (kg
)

second (s)

ampere (A)

kelvin (K)
candela (cd)

mole (mol)

The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum

during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second.
The kilogram is the mass of the platinum-iridium prototype which
was approved by the ConfrenceGnrale des Poids et
Mesures, held in Paris in 1889, and kept by the Bureau
International des Poids et Mesures.
The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the
radiation corresponding to the transition between the two
hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom.
The ampere is the intensity of a constant current which, if
maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of
negligible circular cross-section, and placed 1 meter apart in
vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal
to 2 x 10-7 newton per meter of length.
The kelvin is the fraction 1/273,16 of the thermodynamic
temperature of the triple point of water.
The candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a
source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x
1012 hertz and that has a radiant intensity in that direction of
1/683 watt per steradian
The mole is the amount of substance of a system which contains

as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 0,012

kilogram of carbon 12.

History
in May 1910 most of Central America adopted a common system of
measurements, and in May 1921 Guatemala became officially metric. Therefore, all
road distances are in km; Guatemalan specific is that ALL roads have their
distances measured from a spot that is located in the entrance of former
presidential palace, now called National palace.
Among the Guatemalan units of measurement some are based on old Spanish
units; they include the vara and cuadra linear measurements; the varacuadrada,
the manzana and the cuerda units of area; and the libra, arroba, quintal and
garrafn units of weight and volume.
The varacuadrada or square vara is commonly used in land transactions in
Guatemala and 10,000 square varas equal one manzana. One square vara equals
0.6987 square metres (7.521 sqft), while one manzana equals 6,987 square
metres (1.727 acres). A Spanish pound (libra) is 460 grams.
Some United States customary units are also used. These include inches, feet,
miles, gallons, pounds (note the Spanish pound is also used) and ounces. In shops
you will find mixture of almost all measures, and you have to be careful when
estimating relation between price and amount that you get.
To make things more complicated, Guatemalans use also measures like spoons
and cups, and sometimes if very hard to make some recipes. So, to make it easier
I urge you to use online conversion tools.
Measurement units used in Guatemala
Length measures

Kilometer: To measure long distances , use Kilometer , write : km. A

kilometer is 1000 meters.
Meter: To measure large objects small distances or use the subway, it is
written : m . One meter has 100 centimeters
Centimeter: To measure small objects or small distances, we do it in
centimeters. 100 centimeters comprise one meter.

Inch: To measure small objects or small distances use inch, writes: " .
One inch is 2.54 centimeters
Yard: The yard is the length unit used in fabric sales Guatemala. Is equals
to 0.9144 meters.

Capacity measures

Galloon: Gallon is the unit of measure containing 4.25 liters capacity. Gal
is written briefly.
Liter: The liter is the main unit of capacity, abbreviated is written l . Liter
contains 4 glasses 250ml.
Vessel: The vessel containing 250 ml. The milliliter is a unit of volume equal
to one thousandth of a liter

Weight measurements

Quintal: Quintal contains 4 pounds , or 100 pounds. It is written q

Arroba: The arroba contains 25 pounds. Is written @.
Pound: The pound has 16 ounces. It is abbreviated: Lb.
Ounce: Ounce contains 38.35 grams. It is represented Onz
Gram: One gram is equal to one thousand milligrams. It is abbreviated: gr
Kilogram: Recently it began using the Kilogram in Guatemala. A kilogram is
1,000 grams. Is 2.20 pounds. Kg abbreviated.

Conclusiones

The measurement systems are tools wich are use for making more precise
measurements.

The system more applied are, international system and English system.

The most used system around the world is the international system.

Annexes
Linear Measure
10 millimeters (mm) =

1 centimeter (cm)

10 centimeters =

1 decimeter (dm)

= 100 millimeters

10 decimeters =

1 meter (m)

= 1,000 millimeters

10 meters =

1 dekameter (dam)

10 dekameters =

1 hectometer (hm)

= 100 meters

10 hectometers =

1 kilometer (km)

= 1,000 meters

Area Measure
100 square millimeters (mm2) =

1 square centimeter (cm2)

10,000 square centimeters =

1 sq meter (m2)
1,000,000 sqmillimeters

100 square meters =

1 acre (a)

100 acres =

1 hectare (ha)
10,000 square meters
1 square kilometer (km2)

100 hectares =

1,000,000 square meters

Volume Measure
10 milliliters (ml) =

1 centiliter (cl)

10 centiliters =

1 deciliter (dl)

= 100 milliliters

10 deciliters =

1 liter (l)

= 1,000 milliliters

10 liters =

1 dekaliter (dal)

10 dekaliters =

1 hectoliter (hl)

= 100 liters

10 hectoliters =

1 kiloliter (kl)

= 1,000 liters

Cubic Measure
1,000 cubicmillimeters (mm3) =

1 cucentimeter (cm3)

1,000 cubiccentimeters =

1 cudecimeter (dm3)

1,000,000 cumillimeters

1,000 cubicdecimeters =

1 cu meter (m3)

1 stere

1,000,000 cucentimeters

1,000,000,000 cumillimeters

Weight
10 milligrams (mg) =

1 centigram (cg)

10 centigrams =

1 decigram (dg)

= 100 milligrams

10 decigrams =

1 gram (g)

= 1,000 milligrams

10 grams =

1 dekagram (dag)

10 dekagrams =

1 hectogram (hg)

= 100 grams

10 hectograms =

1 kilogram (kg)

= 1,000 grams

1,000 kilograms =

1 metric ton (t)