Bushel facts for kids
A bushel is a special way to measure how much dry stuff you have. Think of it like a big basket or container. It's an imperial unit of dry volume, which means it measures the space that dry things take up. People mostly use bushels in farming to measure crops like corn, wheat, or apples. You might see it written as bsh. or bu. for short.
Contents
What is a Bushel?
A bushel is a unit of measurement for volume, specifically for dry goods. It's not about how heavy something is, but how much space it fills. Imagine a specific-sized bucket; that's like a bushel.
How Big is a Bushel?
One bushel is the same as 4 pecks. If you don't know what a peck is, don't worry! It's also equal to 8 gallons. So, if you have 8 gallon-sized containers of apples, that's about one bushel of apples.
Why Do We Use Bushels?
Farmers and people who buy and sell crops use bushels a lot. It helps them measure large amounts of grain, fruits, and vegetables easily. Instead of counting every single apple or grain of corn, they can just measure them by the bushel.
Bushels in Farming Today
Even today, when you hear about how much corn or wheat a farmer grew, it's often measured in bushels. This makes it simple to compare harvests and trade goods around the world. It's a very old way of measuring that is still useful!
History of the Bushel
The idea of the bushel has been around for a very long time. It comes from old measuring systems used in places like England. Originally, a bushel was literally a basket of a certain size. Over time, its exact size was set by laws to make sure everyone was using the same measurement.
Different Bushels for Different Things
Sometimes, the weight of a bushel can change depending on what you are measuring. For example, a bushel of corn might weigh differently than a bushel of oats, even though they both fill the same amount of space. This is because different crops have different densities.
Images for kids
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A table of weights from the secretaries of the different states, showing the number of pounds which their laws recognize as a bushel of different articles, c. 1854.
See also
In Spanish: Bushel para niños
