Scruple (unit) facts for kids
A scruple (written as ℈) is a tiny unit of measurement. It was once used in the apothecaries' system, which was a way to measure medicines. The word "scruple" comes from an old Roman word, scrupulum, which means "small pebble." This unit helped people measure very small amounts of things.
Measuring Weight with a Scruple
A scruple can be used to measure weight. Imagine a larger unit called an ounce. A scruple is 1⁄24 of an ounce. It is also 1⁄3 of a dram. If you think about even smaller units, a scruple is equal to 20 grains.
To give you an idea of its size, one scruple weighs about 1.3 grams. This is roughly the weight of a small paperclip. The original Roman scruple was a little lighter, weighing around 1.14 grams.
Measuring Liquids with a Scruple
The scruple was also used to measure very small amounts of liquids. This was called a fluid scruple. It was 1⁄24 of a fluid ounce. It was also 1⁄3 of a fluid dram.
Even smaller, a fluid scruple was equal to 20 minims. For cooking, it was about 1⁄4 of a teaspoon. It was also the same as one saltspoon of liquid. In modern measurements, one fluid scruple is about 1.23 milliliters.
See also
In Spanish: Escrúpulo (unidad de medida) para niños
- Scruples (disambiguation)
- Roman units
- Byzantine units
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