Numerical Expressions

Numerical Expressions & Weights and Measures

NUMERICAL EXPRESSIONS

1. Numbers
2. Mathematical Expressions
- The Greek Alphabet
3. Computer Numbers
4. Measurements (Inanimate)
5. Measurements (Human)
6. Time of Day
7. Dates
8. Money
9. Telephoning
10. Chemical Formulae

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The Metric System
Avoirdupois Weight
Troy Weight
Apothecaries' Weight
Linear Measure
Square Measure
Cubic Measure
Surveyor's Measure
Nautical Measure
Liquid Measure of Capacity
Apothecaries' Fluid Measure
Dry Measure of Capacity
Circular or Angular Measure
Temperature Equivalents
MoneyTimeNumber of Days in the MonthSpeed

Numerical Expressions

The following section will give you help in the reading, speaking and writing of numbers and expressions which commonly contain numbers.

1 Numbers

Note. 'a hundred' is a less formal usage than 'one hundred'.

CARDINAL	ORDINAL
1 one	1st first
2 two	2nd second
3 three	3rd third
4 four	4th fourth
5 five	5th fifth
6 six	6th sixth
7 seven	7th seventh
8 eight	8th eighth
9 nine	9th ninth
10 ten	10th tenth
11 eleven	11th eleventh
12 twelve	12th twelfth
13 thirteen	13th thirteenth
14 fourteen	14th fourteenth
15 fifteen	15th fifteenth
16 sixteen	16th sixteenth
17 seventeen	17th seventeenth
18 eighteen	18th eighteenth
19 nineteen	19th nineteenth
20 twenty	20th twentieth
21 twenty-one	21st twenty-first
22 twenty-two	22nd twenty-second
23 twenty-three	23rd twenty-third
30 thirty	30th thirtieth
38 thirty-eight	38th thirty-eighth
40 forty	40th fortieth
50 fifty	50th fiftieth
60 sixty	60th sixtieth
70 seventy	70th seventieth
80 eighty	80th eightieth
90 ninety	90th ninetieth
100 a/one hundred	100th a/one hundredth
1000 a/one thousand	1,000th a/one thousandth
10,000 ten thousand	10,000th ten thousandth
100,000 a/one hundred thousand	100,000th a/one hundred thousandth
1000,000 a/one million	1,000,000th a/one millionth

SOME MORE COMPLEX NUMBERS

101 a/one hundred and one

152 a/one hundred and fifty-two

1001 a/one thousand and one

2325 two thousand, three hundred and twenty-five

15972 fifteen thousand, nine hundred and seventy-two

234753 two hundred and thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and fifty-three

		US	GB and other European countries
1000000000	10⁹	a/one billion	a/one thousand milfion(s)
1000000000000	10¹²	a/one trillion	a/one billion
1000000000000000	10¹⁵	a/one quadrillion	a/one thousand billion(s)
1000000000000000000	10¹⁸	a/one quintillion	a/one trillion

VULGAR FRACTIONS	DECIMAL FRACTIONS
1/8 one eighth	0.125 (nought) point one two five
1/4 a/one quarter	0.25 (nought) point two five
1/3 a/one third	0.33 (.nought) point three
1/2 a/one half	0.5 (nought) point five
3/4 three quarters	0.75 (nought) point seven five

Notes. 1 In the spoken forms of vulgar fractions, the versions 'and a half/quarter/third' are preferred to 'and one half/quarter/third' whether the measurement is approximate or precise. With more obviously precise fractions like 1/8, 1/16, 'and one eighth/sixteenth' is normal. Complex fractions like 3/462, 20/83 are spoken as 'three over four-six-two; twenty over eighty-three', especially in mathematical expressions, eg 'twenty-two over seven' for 22/7.

2 When speaking ordinary numbers we can use 'zero', 'nought' or 'oh' for the number 0; 'zero' is the most common US usage and the most technical or precise form, 'oh' is the least technical or precise. In using decimals, to say 'nought point five' for 0.5 is a more precise usage than 'point five'.

3 In most continental European countries a comma is used in place of the GB/US decimal point. Thus 6.014 is written 6,014 in France. A space is used to separate off the thousands in numbers larger than 9999, e g 10,000 or 875,380. GB/US usage can also have a comma in this place, eg 7,500,000. This comma is replaced by a full point in continental European countries, . eg 7,500,000. Thus 23,500,75 (GB/US) will be written 23,500,75 in France.

COLLECTIVE NUMBERS

6 a half dozen/half a dozen

12 a/one dozen (24 is two dozen not two dozens)

20 a/one score

three score years and ten (Biblical) = 70 years, the traditional average life-span of man.

144 a/one gross

Roman and Arabic Numbers

ROMAN	ARABIC	ROMAN	ARABIC	ROMAN	ARABIC	ROMAN	ARABIC	ROMAN	ROMAN
I	i	1	XVI	xvi	16	LX	60	DCC	700
II	ii	2	XVII	xvii	17	LXV	65	DCCC	800
III	iii	3	XVIII	xviii	18	LXX	70	CM	900
IV(IIII)	iv(iiii)	4	XIX	xix	19	LXXX	80	M	1000
V	v	5	XX	xx	20	XC	90	MC	1100
VI	vi	6	XXI	xxi	21	XCII	92	MCD	1400
VII	vii	7	XXV	xxv	25	XCV	95	MDC	1600
VIII	viii	8	XXIX	xxix	29	XCVIII	98	MDCLXVI	1666
IX	ix	9	XXX	xxx	30	IC .	99	MDCCCLXXXVIII	1888
X	x	10	XXXI		31	C	100
XI	xi	11	XXXIV		34	CC	200	MDCCCXCIX	1899
XII	xii	12	XXXIX		39	CCC	300	MCM	1900
XIII	xiii	13	XL		40	CD	400	MCMLXXVI	1976
XIV	xiv	14	L		50	D	500	MCMLXXXIV	1984
XV	xv	15	LV		55	DC	600	MM 2000

A letter placed after another letter of greater value adds, eg VI =5+1 =6. A letter placed before a letter of greater value subtracts, e g IV = 5 —1=4. A dash placed over a letter multiplies the value by 1,000; thus = 10,000 and = 1,000,000. The alternative IIII is seen only on some clock faces (-> the illus at dial), and iiii is seen only in the preliminary pages of some books.

2 Mathematical Expressions

Below are some of the more common symbols and expressions used in mathematics, geometry and itatistics; in the cases where alternative ways of saying the expressions are given, both are equally common but generally the first is more formal or technical and the second less formal or technical.

The Greek Alphabet
Many letters of the Greek alphabet are commonly used in statistics and other branches of mathematics. Here is a complete list of the letters:

3 Computer Numbers

Cheque books, business accounts, etc have long strings of numerals. If such a number has to be read aloud, the numerals are spoken as separate digits (1-9, 0) grouped rhythmically into pairs. Doubled numerals may be read separately or as eg 'double six'. For example, '05216472' is 'oh 'five 'two 'one 'six 'four 'seven 'two. As mentioned earlier, 0 can also be read as 'zero' (formal)
or 'nought' (informal). -> also binary.

4 Measurements (Inanimate)

Traditionally GB and US measurements have been made in inches, feet, yards, miles, etc, but there is now a gradual move towards the metric system of millimetres, metres, kilometres, etc. Examples of both are given below. (For tables of weight, measurement, etc and conversion tables, Even if the move towards metrication is completed in the near future, there will remain a vast amount of literature in which the other units are used.

8. Money

9. Telephoning