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Pound - Unit of Weight

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Last updated date: 20th Apr 2024
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What is the Pound?

During your school days, you used to prefer a pound or a two-pound cake for your birthday celebration. So, do you know what is the lbs unit and how much is a pound in weight? Well, it is very essential that you must know what is the lbs means in weight. The pound is one of the most popular units that are used to measure the mass or matter of an object or a body. 


In many ways, scales are used to measure the weight or mass of a body. Different types of scales are used to measure different objects of different sizes. Pounds are defined as the unit of weight of an object. This type of weighing in pounds is generally used in Britain. It is also denoted as Lb or Lbs in short.


The full form of Lb is Libra which is a Latin word meaning balance or scales. It also stands for the ancient Roman unit of measure “libra pondo” which means “a pound by weight.”


History of Pounds 

Pounds (lb) and kilograms (kg) are two of the most commonly used units to measure the mass of a specific body. Therefore, accurate conversion between these two is very essential and important for accurate trade, engineering, and science study. Keeping this in mind, six nations gathered in 1959 and agreed to have an exact conversion between the pound and the kilogram.


Therefore on the 1st of July 1959, the six countries signed an international yard and pound agreement. As per the agreement, the value of a common pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Other countries made it legal at various times by signing this agreement. In 1951, most of the commonwealth nations agreed to this conversion.


This agreement is not just a link between the pound and the kilogram but also a link between the metric system and mass units. There are also 16 ounces in a pound, where one ounce is (0.45359237/16) kilograms.


Conversion Of Pounds 

Pound Measurement

The conversion of pounds to kilograms calculation can be done using a conversion factor of 2.2 pounds in 1 kilogram. 


For instance, the value of 120 pounds in kilograms is 54.4310844. It is almost close to a mental calculation. 


To Convert Pounds to Kilogram

1 pound (lb) = 0.45359237 kilograms (kg).


Therefore, m(kg) = m(lb) × 0.45359237


Similarly, we can find other quantities as well. If we wish to find out the same in kilograms, then we have to divide the value we obtained above by 1000, so here we go


907.18474/1000 = 0.90718474 kg


So, 2 pounds in kg is 0.90718474 kg.


One more thing to know about the pound unit is: 1 kilogram or kg is equal to 2.20462 pounds or 2.2 Ibs. So, whenever you wish to determine the value of ‘n’ kg in pounds, just multiply it by 2.2 Ib, you will get the value in n * 2.2 Ibs. 


Do You Know?

1. Do You Know How Many Hours a Pound of a Propane Tank Last? 

Well! A standard 1-lb propane tank provides around 1½ hours of cooking time on high heat. However, an optional accessory hose allows you to connect a standard 20 lb propane tank to the grill for 20+ hours of cooking time.


2. Do You Know How Much a Full 100-pound Propane Tank Weighs?

Well! It weighs around 170 pounds.

FAQs on Pound - Unit of Weight

1. What is a Pound?

The pound is one of the most popular units that are used to measure the mass or matter of an object or a body. 


In many ways, scales are used to measure the weight or mass of a body. Different types of scales are used to measure different objects of different sizes. Pounds are defined as the unit of weight of an object. This type of weighing in pounds is generally used in Britain. It is also denoted as Lb or Lbs in short.


The full form of Lb is Libra which is a Latin word meaning balance or scales. It also stands for the ancient Roman unit of measure “libra pondo” which means “a pound by weight.”

2. Why is the common measure of weight necessary?

Pounds (lb) and kilograms (kg) are two of the most commonly used units to measure the mass of a specific body. Therefore, accurate conversion between these two is very essential and important for accurate trade, engineering, and science study. Keeping this in mind, six nations gathered in 1959 and agreed to have an exact conversion between the pound and the kilogram.


Therefore on the 1st of July 1959, the six countries signed an international yard and pound agreement. As per the agreement, the value of a common pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Other countries made it legal at various times by signing this agreement. In 1951, most of the commonwealth nations agreed to this conversion.

3. What are the different conversion rates in pounds?

The value of a common pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. The conversion of pounds to kilograms calculation can be done using a conversion factor of 2.2 pounds in 1 kilogram. There are also 16 ounces in a pound, where one ounce is (0.45359237/16) kilograms.


For instance, the value of 120 pounds in kilograms is 54.4310844. It is almost close to a mental calculation. 


To Convert Pounds to Kilogram

  • 1 pound (lb) = 0.45359237 kilograms (kg).

  • Therefore, m(kg) = m(lb) × 0.45359237

4. A man weighs 176 lbs and wanted to convert it into kilograms. What is his weight in Kilograms?

We know that,


1 kg = 2.2 lbs


Write in an equation form,


weight in kg = weight in lb x (1 kg / 2.2 lb)


= 176  x 1 /2.2 kg (where, lb.* kg/lb = kg)


Simplify them, if lbs are divided by another lb it gets cancelled.


And hence,


x kg = 80 kg


The kilogram weighs 176 lb. The man is 80 kg.

5. Differentiate Kilogram and Pound?

Kilogram

Pounds

It is a metric unit of measurement.

It is an imperial unit of calculating mass.

The abbreviation of a kilogram is kg

Pound’s abbreviation is lb.

Mass is expressed in kg throughout the world

It is generally used in the US and Uk.

1kg = 2.204 pounds

I lb = 0.453 kg

It is aunty solely represent the measurement of mass

Pound expresses boy=th force and mass.

6. What do you understand by the term ‘Weight; and what causes weight in Physics?

The most common definition of weight is the force exerted on a body by gravity. This is often expressed in the following formula W = mg.

Where,

W is the weight, 

m is the mass of the object, and 

g = gravitational acceleration

Weight is a gravitational force of attraction on an object. It is caused by the presence of a massive second object, such as the Earth or Moon. 


Weight is the result of the universal law of gravitation between any two objects because their masses attract each other with a force that varies directly with their product.


The unit of weight in the base system is kgm²s⁻². The other units are Newton (N) and Pound-force (Ibf).

7. What do you mean by the term ‘Mass’ in Physics?

In Physics, mass is the quantitative measurement of inertia or we can say that mass is a fundamental property of all the matter in the universe. It is, in fact, the resistance that a body of matter offers to a change in its speed/position upon the application of a force.

 

So, the greater the mass of a body, the smaller the change produced by an applied force. 

The unit of mass in the International System of Units or SI is the kilogram. 


In terms of Planck’s constant, mass is defined as the equivalent of 6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ Joule-Second.

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