Step right up and try your luck! (P.S. – these can be a little tricky!)
Results
#1. Which is longer, a meter or a yard?
A meter is longer than a yard.
Although for “swag” measures you can think of them as almost the same, 1 meter = 1.09361 yards.
or from my first Physics class, remember 1 inch is 2.54 centimeters and work up from there!
#2. A parsec is a
A parsec is a unit of distance, approximately 3.26 light years. A light year is the distance light travels in a year.
By way of scale, light from the sun takes 8 minutes 20 seconds to reach earth. The sun is 93 million miles away.
#3. An acre is approximately what size?
An American football field (without the end zones) is approximately 1.1 acres.
An acre is 43560 square feet. It came to be as the amount of land that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen.
It is still used today as being more “visual” than a square mile, particularly for small areas. It takes about three minutes to circumnavigate an acre.
#4. How many teaspoons in a tablespoon?
Three teaspoons to a tablespoon.
A teaspoon (tsp) is a unit of volume, approximately 5 mL. This varies by country!
For swag purposes, a teaspoon is approximately the same as a small silverware spoon and a tablespoon (Tbsp) is approximately the size of a large silverware spoon.
#5. How much does a stone weigh?
A stone is 14 pounds.
Almost exclusively used in the UK and Ireland, it was established in the 14th century for tax purposes. Now mostly used for the weight of people and other large animals.
#6. A carat is a unit of
Carat is a unit of weight, 200 mg (or .007 ounce).
Often used to measure jewelry, usually diamonds. Can be confused with karat, which is the measure of the purity of gold (24 karat gold being pure gold).
Some parts of the world use carat to refer to both.
#7. Which is a measure of depth, a league or a fathom?
Fathom
League is a unit of distance, typical three nautical miles. it is not a depth.Confusion here is courtesy of Jules Verne.
Fathom is a measure traditionally used for depth. It is six feet.
#8. A lumen is a measure of
Brightness. Generally the quantity of visible light emitted from a source.
Often used to measure lamps, lightbulbs and car headlights. For instance, LED car headlights produce significantly more lumens than the more traditional halogen car headlights.
#9. A furlong is a measure of
Distance.
Almost exclusively used in horse racing, in the US it refers to a quarter mile (220 yards). For instance, the Kentucky Derby is ten furlongs.
#10. Prior to 1971, how many shillings were in a British pound?
Prior to decimalisation (1971), there were 20 shillings to the pound, and 12 pennies to the shilling.
