Appendix
The following are legal holidays when government offices and many businesses are closed and classes may be suspended.
New Year's Day January 1
Martin Luther King Day Third Monday in January
President's Day second Monday of February (birthdays of Presidents Washington and Lincoln)
Easter Date varies in March or April
Memorial Day Last Monday in May
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day First Monday in September
Columbus Day Second Monday in October
Veterans Day November 11
Election Day Tuesday after first Monday in November
Thanksgiving Fourth Thursday in November
Christmas December 25 (university offices are closed during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day)
Although large purchases should be paid for by check or credit card to avoid carrying large amounts of cash, small
day-to-day expenses generally are paid for in cash. Always count the change you are given. Since all paper currency in the
U.S. is the same size and color, it is easy to make a mistake. Be sure that you are giving the correct bills and that you receive
the correct change. If you are given the wrong amount, it is appropriate to point out the error and complete the transaction
correctly. U.S. currency comes in the following denominations:
Coins 1 - $ .01 one cent penny
5 - .05 five cents nickel
10 - .10 ten cents dime
25 - .25 twenty-five cents quarter
50 - .50 fifty cents half-dollar (rare)
100 - 1.00 one dollar silver dollar (rare)
Bills come in denominations of 1 (one dollar, colloquially "a buck"), 2 (two dollars, rare), 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100.
Centigrade (Celsius) And Fahrenheit
Centigrade | Fahrenheit
Boiling 100 | 212
Body temperature 37 | 98.6
Room temperature 20 | 68
Freezing 0 | 32
Very cold -18 | 0
Fahrenheit temperature = 9/5 Celsius + 32
Women
Dresses/suits/coats--misses
USA 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
British - 10 12 14 16 18 20
Continental - 38 40 42 44 46 48
Dresses/Suits/Coats--Women's
USA and British 34 36 38 40 42 44
Continental 42 44 46 48 50 52
Dresses/Suits/Coats--Junior
USA and British 7 9 11 13 15 17
Continental 34 35 38 40 42 44
Stockings
USA and British 8 8.5 9 10 10.5 11
Continental 0 1 2 4 5 6
Blouses/Sweaters/Slips
USA and British 30 32 34 36 38 40
Continental 38 40 42 44 46 48
Shoes
USA 5 5.5 6 7 8 8.5 9
British 3.5 4 4.5 5.5 6.5 7 7.5
Continental 35 35 36 38 38.5 39 40
Men
Coats/Suits
USA 36 38 40 42 44 46
European 46 68 50 54 56 59
Shirts
USA 14.5 15 15.5 16 16.5
European 37 38 39 40 41
Shoes
USA 8 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11
European 41 42 43 44 45
Clothing is frequently marked Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large
Small Medium Large Extra Large
Women under 12 14- 16 18 and up "Queen"
Men under 36 36-38 40 over 40
The United States is one of the last countries to convert to the metric system; in fact the attempt to make the conversion has been unsuccessful. There have been some switch-overs, but most units of measure here will probably be unfamiliar to you.
Distance/length
100 kilometers = 62.5 miles 1 mile = 1.67 kilometers
1 centimeter = 0.39 inch 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters
1 meter = 39.37 inches 1 foot = 30.5 centimeters
10 meters = 32.81 feet 1 yard = 0.91 meter
Weight
1 kilo = 2.2 pounds 1 pound = 500.00 grams
1 ounce = 28.00 grams
Fluids
1 litre = 4 and 1/3 cups 1 gallon = 3.80 liters
1 litre = 11/10 quarts 1 quart = 0.95 liters
1 pint = .47 milliliters
1 cup = 237.00 milliliters
1 ounce = 23.00 milliliters
Americans use volume rather than weight in measuring quantities for most recipes in home cooking. They also use the term ounce as both a fluid measure and a weight: 16 ounces is both one pound and one pint or two cups. It is very easy to get confused! The following tables may help you to decipher recipes.
American Liquid grams French measures
1 teaspoon (tsp) 2 1 cuillere a cafe
1 tablespoon (tbsp) 6 1 cuillere a soupe
1 cuillere a bouche
1 verre a liqueur
6 and 2/3 tbsp 100 1 deciliter
1 demi-verre
16 tbsp = 1 cup = 1/2 pint 22 1/4 litre less 2 tbsp
2 cups = 1 pint = 1 pound 454 1/2 litre
4 cups = 1 quart 907 9/10 litre
In the United States oven temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit.
Fahrenheit Centigrade Oven Setting
140-250 70-120 Low or slow
250-300 120-150 Medium low
300-350 150-180 Medium/moderate
350-400 180-200 Medium hot
400-425 200-220 Hot
425-450 220-230 Very hot
450-500 230-250 Extremely hot