Technikatörténeti szemle 10. (1978)

A MÉRÉS ÉS A MÉRTÉKEK AZ EMBER MŰVELŐDÉSÉBEN című konferencián Budapesten, 1976. április 27–30-án elhangzott előadások II. - Valtchev, A.–Atanasova, P.: A XIX. sz. közepén Bulgáriában használt mértékrendszerek változásai

It was a system of internationally accepted standarts. They were developed after 1855 and had gradually been introduced in all countries. In the seventies, after many conferences, they have been adopted on the Balkans, Bulgaria including. The progress in the international trade relations, due to the enlargement of the rail and water traffic, necessitated in the elimination of the differences between the internationally accepted units and those in use in Turkey. In 1869 a vezir's regulation is issued. In this regulation new units, based on the decimal system, were introduced. The official introduction of the new measuring system was fixed for 1st March, 1871. To accustom all population to the new system, the use of the old and new units was allowed till 1st March 1874. During these three years the population was expected to become familiar with the new units. The latter would be introduced in schools, conversion tables and additional decrees would be published. The standarts of the new measures would be guarded in the royal exchequer. Till 1874 all old measures would have been replaced by the new ones. A mark would show that the respective measure was checked with the standart. The measuring instruments should bear the same marks. We shall describe in brief the fundamentals of the laws of the measures and weights, adopted by the Turkish government. Some well known common features will be recured, but this fact demonstrates once again the stability of the decimal system and its enormous spread and application (pronounced stability), which it has untill our days. Metre is accepted as a measuring unit for length and is a 1/40,000,000 part of the meridian. Its subdivisions are decimetre, santimetre, millimetre and its multiples are kilometre and meriametre. The requirements towards the measures are the following: The measures are grouped in eight parts. The first part consists of 20 metres, the second—10 metres, the third—5 metres, the fourth—2 metres, the fifth—1 metres, the sixth—5 decimetres, the seventh—2 decimetre, the eight—1 decimetre. The measures of one half metre, 1 metre and 2 metre are made of wood, but the ends are covered by metal. The divisions should be clear and legible. The measures of 20 metres 10 metres and 5 metres, which are normally used to measure streets ro earth surface, consist of separate parts, each one half a metre long. These parts are connected by rings and the distance between each of them is 5 decimetres. It is also allowed to use measures of braid or braid—like shape, but made of steel. The unit measure for surface is one are—a square of 10 by 10 metres. As a multiple is introduced one hectare = 100 ares = 10,000 square metres. To measure volume of fluids, as well as for wheat or grain, the accepted unit measure is a cube, having a side of one decimetre and is called a litre. One tenth of a litre is a decilitre and one hectolitre consists of 100 litres. The measures for wheat and fluids are cylindrically shaped and both inner diameter and height are equal. To avoid misuse, all measuring vessels bear marks giving their diametres and heights, as they are demanded by the low. The measures are ten in total: one hectolitre, one half hectolitre, 20 litres, 10 litres, 5 litres, 2 litres, 1 litre, one half litre, 2 decilitres and 1 decilitre. The measuring vessels should be made of copper or wood and the upper part is to be bound in sheet iron on which the name and the size of the measure unit are engraved. For facility's sake, the hectolitre measure could be shaped as a rectangular vessel, 5 decimetres long and as much wide, 4 decimetres high. It could also have a cubic form. The measuring vessels