Grams vs. Ounces

[Vicki C]

I know that a kilogram is a little over two pounds. But I can’t really switch back and forth. My molds hold 1550 grams of batter. I know what that looks like and feels like and it’s about 3.4 pounds (just looked that up) but I’m not very good at switching back and forth. Just like I am not good at thinking about temperature in Celsius. Although… come to think of it I use Celsius when I’m adding preservatives.
@Shelley D I think I follow, but does your scale only measure in whole ounces? Then I would definitely use grams. Well, I do anyway.

 

[Zing]

Oh, rant away, @Vicki C , this is a sensitive button for me. When I started, I had a feel for ounces but switched to grams because of my scale. I would calculate something to be 20 ounces but the scale registered 1 pound X ounces and for the life of me I will not remember how many ounces are in a pound. 16? 18? And trying to Google it with my gloves on, and oh the humanity. I learned to trust the numbers in grams -- base 10 just makes logical sense. But then various colorants and additives are recommended as ppo so then I'd have to convert grams to pounds!

And I have such firm memories of being in elementary school and learning THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO CONVERT!! And my little 10 year old brain was like, why memorize conversion ratios? Just switch over to metric and move on already. Doy!

How many feet are in a mile?!

EDIT: And speaking of women and on the last day of March, can we give it up to all the smart, talented, creative women on this Forum that are generous with sharing their knowledge, advice, moderation, and experience? I am grateful for constant inspiration. Also grateful for a non-Forum woman, Mrs. Zing, who is my shade tree.

 

[Relle]

Oh, rant away, @Vicki C , this is a sensitive button for me. When I started, I had a feel for ounces but switched to grams because of my scale. I would calculate something to be 20 ounces but the scale registered 1 pound X ounces and for the life of me I will not remember how many ounces are in a pound. 16? 18? I learned to trust the numbers in grams -- and that was a leap. But then various colorants and additives are recommended as ppo so then I'd have to convert grams to pounds!

And I have such firm memories of being in elementary school and learning THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, YOU HAVE TO LEARN CONVERSIONS!!! And my little 10 year old brain was like, why memorize conversion ratios? Just switch over and move on already.

How many feet are in a mile?!

You might be able to tell me, why is the US still in imperial and not metric if when you were at school they told you it was coming ? Australia is small compared to the US and we switched when the dinosaurs were around. Dh, can switch back and forth if necessary for wood measurements, but uses metric as it's more accurate, he watches US videos on making wood things so he picks up on the imperial and can work out what he needs.

And what's a mile lol. Haven't used that since before I got my licence, even my car was in kilometres.

Edited - just googled, only 3 countries in the world use imperial - US, Liberia, Myanmar.

 

[VikingChick]

The US is this weird hybrid. Like @Zing, I remember learning that the metric system was coming. And then it never really did, except in science venues to include healthcare. Sometimes. In the lab we’re all about metric, but when you look at nursing notes, sometimes body temps are in Celsius and sometimes they’re in Fahrenheit. Patient weights are sometimes in kilograms, sometimes in pounds. It’s goofy. I don’t get it, personally.

 

[Relle]

The US is this weird hybrid. Like @Zing, I remember learning that the metric system was coming. And then it never really did, except in science venues to include healthcare. Sometimes. In the lab we’re all about metric, but when you look at nursing notes, sometimes body temps are in Celsius and sometimes they’re in Fahrenheit. Patient weights are sometimes in kilograms, sometimes in pounds. It’s goofy. I don’t get it, personally.

It would be easier if they just stuck with metric as the rest of world deals in it. I'd imagine travelling o/s , living in other countries, would be hard to get use to.

Oh, rant away, @Vicki C , this is a sensitive button for me. When I started, I had a feel for ounces but switched to grams because of my scale. I would calculate something to be 20 ounces but the scale registered 1 pound X ounces and for the life of me I will not remember how many ounces are in a pound. 16? 18? And trying to Google it with my gloves on, and oh the humanity. I learned to trust the numbers in grams -- base 10 just makes logical sense. But then various colorants and additives are recommended as ppo so then I'd have to convert grams to pounds!

And I have such firm memories of being in elementary school and learning THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, THE METRIC SYSTEM IS COMING, YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO CONVERT!! And my little 10 year old brain was like, why memorize conversion ratios? Just switch over to metric and move on already. Doy!

How many feet are in a mile?!

EDIT: And speaking of women and on the last day of March, can we give it up to all the smart, talented, creative women on this Forum that are generous with sharing their knowledge, advice, moderation, and experience? I am grateful for constant inspiration. Also grateful for a non-Forum woman, Mrs. Zing, who is my shade tree.

5,280 ft in a mile, dh gave me that off the top of his head, as well as other imperial measurements I didn't ask for, - rod, pole and perch is 8ft, 6 ft to a fathom, I think he was born in the wrong era, he remembers things before he was born and then some. lol.

 

[Vicki C]

My daughter is a scientist and a runner and she thinks in metric units. Might sound pretentious but she’ll say “Oh it’s like a kilometer from here.” And I think “oh so like… more than a mile? Less than a mile?”
When I go to the doctor they always weigh me in kg. Since I have no frame of reference I don’t worry about the number. “Oh, I weigh 1,000 blickenbloops? Okay.”
@Zing you are so funny… yes mid soaping calculations are always stressful.

 

[Relle]

I was watching an Aussie show tonight with an American in it, they said to him you only have a metre to go, him- how far is that?

We spell kilometre like this but the tablet keeps changing it on me. I like to spell things the way we do here,

 

[Zoo]

Scales, in general, have a microcontroller to accurately add the data coming from 1 or more pressure sensors (usually 3 or 4). That data is converted within the microcontroller to data that is then displayed externally. Almost all scales are made somewhere other than the US. Therefore, most scales are made to accurately measure in grams by default. It actually comes down to how the microcontroller program is written. Does it converts the raw data to both grams and ounces simultaneously or does it convert the data to grams, then use a conversion factor to get ounces. Since the latter is simpler to program and reduces the amount of memory required, I'm very confident that the vast majority of scales are more accurate when reading grams. JM2C

 

[Shelley D]

I know that a kilogram is a little over two pounds. But I can’t really switch back and forth. My molds hold 1550 grams of batter. I know what that looks like and feels like and it’s about 3.4 pounds (just looked that up) but I’m not very good at switching back and forth. Just like I am not good at thinking about temperature in Celsius. Although… come to think of it I use Celsius when I’m adding preservatives.
@Shelley D I think I follow, but does your scale only measure in whole ounces? Then I would definitely use grams. Well, I do anyway.

It only has one zero after the decimal, so it goes to tenths ~ but I still wonder how much is too much if that number bumps up when I'm measuring in ounces vs measuring in grams

 

[MomInWA]

American here, also remember "The metric is coming, the metric is coming!" Yet, it never did. Why? I think we are stuck in our ways and unswerving in our dedication even when it's dumb. I prefer metric system for measuring recipes. But for driving I would have to drive km a lot before the metric system would click in my head. I've done it; England, Ireland, Canada. But I am just used to the old way.

 

[VikingChick]

I can do really rough conversions in my head, but I do get confused because there are approximately 2 km in a mile, but approximately 2 pounds per kg. My mind likes patterns and wants there to be a consistent imperial-to-metric ratio.

 

[Relle]

1.6 kls per mile and 2.2 pounds per kilo, see I can convert lol, but don't really need to, I don't travel to the US and all other countries are metric. I'm not likely to go to Myanmar or Liberia.

 

[Velocipede]

More or less accurate of either system is "The eye of the beholder." I'm a retired science and mathematics teacher and accuracy is only as good as the observer - that's why schools still teach "significant digits." Most scales are preset to chase away these pesky digits but when using either system (American or metric). The measurement you observer is actually a range of the last number in your measurement. If you need 21 g of a fragance oil and the digital reading seems stuck at 20, don't worry or freak out that you did'nt hit right on 21 g. You are over the 20 g mark but the scale won't measure decimals. Adding more fragrance or other substances won't help because if you still want to add more to your soap could put you way over and once the oil, water, lye, or fat jumps way past 20g you can't take it out. Grams are more accurate becuase their mathemtatical manipulations are so much easier. If your recipe is in grams and the IFRA says only 3.2% of a certain fragrance or essential oil can be safely used. It's no problem. Multiply the total fats & oils in your recipe by 3.2% (yes, a good scientific calculator can multiply numbers using %s). Viola! Round your number to the nearest whole gram and move on.

I can do really rough conversions in my head, but I do get confused because there are approximately 2 km in a mile, but approximately 2 pounds per kg. My mind likes patterns and wants there to be a consistent imperial-to-metric ratio.

OOPS! You are way off with both converstion factors. A kilometer is 4/5 mile. If you are given miles and need to change to kilometers, divide the number of miles by 4/5. If you are given kilometers and you need to change to miles, multiply kilometers by 4/5. 1 kilogram is 2.2 pounds. If you are working a large batch of soap the 0.2 pounds can wreck havoc with your finished product.

 

[IanT]

The scale I use goes in grams and ounces so depending on the size of the batch I make, I choose the unit of measure

 

[dibbles]

a good scientific calculator can multiply numbers using %s). Viola! Round your number to the nearest whole gram and move on.

Even my cheap little calculator multiplies in percentages

 

[VikingChick]

OOPS! You are way off with both converstion factors. A kilometer is 4/5 mile. If you are given miles and need to change to kilometers, divide the number of miles by 4/5. If you are given kilometers and you need to change to miles, multiply kilometers by 4/5. 1 kilogram is 2.2 pounds. If you are working a large batch of soap the 0.2 pounds can wreck havoc with your finished product.

I believe a kilometer is 3/5 of a mile. And don’t worry, no way am I converting kg to pounds using a 2:1 ratio for soapmaking. I formulate everything in grams. What I was saying about rough conversions in my mind is more what I use when I see a person’s weight in kg and I need to make it make sense in my American mind. Or, when I’m outside of the US and see a distance measured in km….a rough conversion is enough for me to make an estimation of how far away something is. I’m much more precise when making soap.

 

[Wearelion]

When dealing with soap making, knowing the correct measurements is crucial for achieving the best results. For those who work with different units of measurement, converting between grams and ounces can sometimes be tricky. If you're working with a recipe and need to know how many ounces are in a liter, a quick online search can be quite handy. For reference, 1 liter is approximately 33.8 ounces. Keeping track of these conversions can help ensure your measurements are accurate, which is vital for consistent results in soap making.

 

[Maple_Street_Bath]

For reference, 1 liter is approximately 33.8 ounces. Keeping track of these conversions can help ensure your measurements are accurate, which is vital for consistent results in soap making.

Correct me if I'm wrong... but liter and fluid ounces are volume measurements.
When making soap, we use weights.
Fluid ounces and ounces [of weight] are not the same thing.
1L of water will weigh differently than 1L of castor oil.

 

[DeeAnna]

...For reference, 1 liter is approximately 33.8 ounces....

ETA: You say only "ounces" here which is a weight measurement. If you're talking about Liters to fluid ounces, you should have written "fluid ounces."

This volume to weight conversion is true IF and ONLY if you're talking about water or a fluid that has the same specific gravity of water. In the case of water, 1 Liter is approx 33.8 ounces (weight) and also 33.8 fluid ounces (volume).

Any other material with a different specific gravity will have a different conversion from volume to weight and vice versa.

....knowing the correct measurements is crucial for achieving the best results...

That is so very true. So if you're going to present yourself as an authority on this type of conversion, it behooves you be accurate and clear with the information you provide.

 

[Elise]

I also never understood why grams would be more precise than ounces, but the fact that this belief is widely spread among the soapmaking community made most of the content in english more accessible to me, since so many american soapmakers share recipes or advices for aditives in grams. As someone born and raised in Europe, the imperial system doesn't make any sense to me.

We kind of like to make fun of the imperial system in Europe, but I never heard anyone say it was not precise (it is more about it being random). When I got interested in soap making and read about the "grams are more precise" thing, I thought it was quite funny to assume a whole country's math and engineering is based on something not precise. If the imperial system wasn't precise, the US would have switched a long time ago, that wouldn't even be a question. Or so I believe.