Zentner
Encyclopedia
The zentner is an obsolete name for a unit of mass
which was used predominantly in Germany
, Austria
, and Switzerland
, although it was also sometimes used in the United Kingdom
– for example, as a measure of the weight of certain crops
including hops
for beer
production – and similar units were used in Scandinavia
. Like the notion of hundredweight
, the zentner is the weight of 100 units, where the value of the unit depends on the time and location. Traditionally the unit was one hundred pound
s (German Pfund), or roughly 50000 gram
s – the precise value being context-dependent – making one zentner equal to about 50 kilogram
s.
In later times, with the adoption of the metric system
, the value came to denote exactly 50 kg, at least in Germany; in Austria and Switzerland the term is now in use for a measure of 100 kg. In Germany a measure of 100 kg is named a Doppelzentner.
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
which was used predominantly in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, although it was also sometimes used in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
– for example, as a measure of the weight of certain crops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
including hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
for beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
production – and similar units were used in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Like the notion of hundredweight
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
, the zentner is the weight of 100 units, where the value of the unit depends on the time and location. Traditionally the unit was one hundred pound
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
s (German Pfund), or roughly 50000 gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s – the precise value being context-dependent – making one zentner equal to about 50 kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
s.
In later times, with the adoption of the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
, the value came to denote exactly 50 kg, at least in Germany; in Austria and Switzerland the term is now in use for a measure of 100 kg. In Germany a measure of 100 kg is named a Doppelzentner.