Hello All

I have read the discussion on the metric system. The following conversions
are on the basis of the British system of reckoning volumes in Imperial
gallons - I understand that the USA system is different. I also show my
calculations for determining the proportions of sugar and water for making
up syrup (sirup).


length
10 millimetres = 1 centimetre
100 centimetres or 1000 millimetres = 1 metre
1000 metres = 1 kilometre


Volume
1000 cubic centimetres (cc) = 1 litre
(A cc is also referred to as a millilitre (ml))


Some equivalents to the other system.


1 litre = 1.74 pints
1 metre = 39.37 inches

1 inch = 25.4 millimetres
1 gallon = 4.54 litres

The following formulae will assist in converting one system to the other.

Convert millimetres to inches - multiply by .03937
Convert litres to Imperial pints - multiply by 1.762
Convert kilometres to miles  - multiply by .625

To convert the other way around multiply by the reciprocal

Convert inches to millimetres- multiply by 25.4
Convert Imperial pints to litres - multiply by .5675
Convert miles to kilometres  - multiply by 1.6

Some important relationships for beekeepers

1 Imperial Gallon of water weighs 10 pounds
1 Litre of water weighs 1 kilo

Making up syrup for bees in the proportion of 2:1 (winter feeding) requires

                                    Results in
     Litres Water     Kilos Sugar   Litres Syrup   Density
          1               2             2.24        1.34

Making up syrup for bees in the proportion of 1:1 (stimulative feeding) requires

     Litres Water     Kilos Sugar   Litres Syrup   Density
          2               2             3.24        1.23

Thus to change a syrup from 2:1 to 1:1 required adding 1 litre of water to
every 2.24 litres of syrup or 44% of the original volume.

How much would 1 gallon of 2:1 syrup weigh?

1 gallon of water weighs 10 lbs. The density of the syrup is 1.33, therefore
1 gallon of syrup weighs 10 X 1.34 = 13.4 lbs.


How much would 1 gallon of 1:1 syrup weigh?

1 gallon of water weighs 10 lbs. The density of the syrup is 1.23, therefore
1 gallon of syrup weighs 10 X 1.23 = 12.3 lbs.


If you had a gallon of 2:1 syrup, how much water would you have to add to it
to turn it into 1:1 syrup?. Answer: 44% or about 3.5 pints.

I hope that the above are correct!

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269
Fax + 353 1 289 9940