Friday, 26 August 2011

Measurement Types and Details


Units of time in ancient Tamil history

  • 1 kuzhi(kuRRuzhi)= 6.66 millisecond-the time taken by the Pleiades stars(aRumin) to glitter once.
  • 12(base 8) or 10 kuzhigaL= 1 miy= 66.6666 millisecond-the time taken by the young human eyes to flap once.
  • 2 kaNNimaigaL= 1 kainodi= 0.125 second
  • 2 kainodi= 1 maatthirai= 0.25 second
  • 6(base 8) or 6 miygaL= 1 siRRuzhi(nodi)= 0.40 second-the time taken for a bubble (created by blowing air through a bamboo tube into a vessel 1 saaN high, full of water) to travel a distance of one saaN .
  • 2 maatthiraigaL= 1 kuru= 0.50 second
  • 2(base 8) or 2 nodigaL= 1 vinaadi= 0.80 second-the time for the adult human heart to beat once
  • 2 1/2 nodigaL= 2 kuru= 1 uyir= 1 second
  • 5 nodigaL= 2 uyir= 1 saNigam= 1/2 aNu= 2 seconds
  • 12(base 8) or 10 nodigaL= 1 aNu= 4 seconds
  • 6(base 8) or 6 aNukkaL= 12 saNigam= 1 thuLi= 1 naazhigai-vinaadi= 24 seconds
  • 12(base 8) or 10 thuLigaL= 1 kaNam= 4 minutes
  • 6(base 8) or 6 kaNangaL= 1 naazhigai= 24 minutes
  • 12(base 8) or 10 naazhigaigaL= 4 saamam= 1 siRupozhuthu= 240 minutes= 4 hours
  • 6(base 8) or 6 siRu-pozhuthugaL= 1 naaL(1 day)= 24 hours
  • 7 naaTkaL= 1 kizhamai(1 week)
  • 15 naaTkaL= 1 azhuvam(1 fortnight )
  • 29.5 naaTkaL= 1 thingaL(1 lunar month)
  • 2 thingaL= 1 perum-pozhuthu(1 season)
  • 6 perum-pozhuthugaL= 1 AaNdu(1 year)
  • 64 aaNdugaL= 1 vattam(1 cycle)
  • 4096(=8^4) AaNdugaL= 1 Oozhi(1 epoch)

Area Measurement

  • 1 Marakkal vaedaipadu (seeds required for planting rice) = 8 cents
  • 12.5 Marakkal vaedaipadu = 100 cents (one acre)

Units of ancient trade

Balance weights

Gold weights

  • 4 nel edai= 1 kunRimaNi
  • 2 kunRimaNi= 1 manjaadi
  • 1 manjaadi= 1 paNavedai
  • 5 paNavedai= 1 kazhanju
  • 8 paNavedai= 1 varaaganedai
  • 20 paNavedai= 4 kazhanju = 1 kaqhsu
  • 80 paNavedai= 16 kazhanju= 4 kaqhsu= 1 palam.
  • 1.5 Kazhanji = 8 gram or one pown

Goods weights

  • 32 kunRimaNi= 1 varaaganedai
  • 10 varaaganedai= 1 palam
  • 40 palam= 1 veesai
  • 1000 palam =1 kaa
  • 6 veesai= 1 thulaam
  • 8 veesai= 1 maNangu
  • 20 maNangu= 1 paaram.

Grain volume

  • 1 kuNam= smallest unit of volume
  • 9 kuNam= 1 mummi
  • 11 mummi= 1 aNu
  • 7 aNu=1 immi
  • 7 immi= 1 uminel
  • 1 sittigai= 7 uminel
  • 360 nel= 1 sevidu
  • 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
  • 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku
  • 2 uzhakku= 1 uri
  • 2 uri= 1 padi
  • 8 padi= 1 marakkaal(kuRuNi)
  • 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
  • 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
  • 5 marakkaal= 1 paRai
  • 80 paRai= 1 karisai
  • 96 padi= 1 kalam
  • 120 padi= 1 pothi(mootai)
  • 21 marakkal = 1 Kottai
1 padi, = 1800 avarai pods = 12,800 miLagu seeds = 14,400 nel grains = 14,800 payaRu grains = 38,000 arisi grains = 115,200 sesame seeds

Fluid volume

  • 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
  • 2 mahani = 1 aazhakku (arai kal padi)
  • 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku (Kal padi)
  • 2 uzhakku= 1 uri (Arai padi)
  • 2 uri= 1 padi
  • 8 padi= 1 marakkaal
  • 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
  • 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
  • 21 Marakkal = 1 Kottai

Length

  • 10 koaN= 1 nuNNaNu
  • 10 nuNNaNU= 1 aNu(atom)
  • 8 aNu= 1 kathirtthugaL
  • 8 kathirtthugaL= 1 thusumbu
  • 8 thusumbu= 1 mayirnuni
  • 8 mayirnuni= 1 nuNmaNal
  • 8 nuNmaNal= 1 siRu-kadugu
  • 8 siRu-kadugu= 1 eL
  • 8 eL= 1 nel
  • 8 nel= 1 viral= 8^8 aNu(atom)= 1.9444 centimetre
  • 12 viral= 1 saaN= 100 immi= 23.3333 centimetre
  • 2 saaN= 1 muzham= 46.6666 centimetre
  • 2 muzham= 1 kajam
  • 4 muzham= 1 paagam
  • 625 paagam= 1 kaadham= 5000 saaN= 1166.66 metres= 1.167 kilometre

Likeness (Saartthal)

Likeness has attributes of tone, sound, colour and shape for comparison of a given substance with a known standard.

Whole numbers

Old Tamil numerical characters
  • 1= onRu
  • 10= patthu
  • 100= nooRu
  • 1000= aayiram
  • 10,000= pathinaayiram
  • 100,000= nooRaayiram
  • 1000,000= meiyiram
  • 10^9= thoLLunn
  • 10^12= eegiyam
  • 10^15= neLai
  • 10^18= iLanji
  • 10^20= veLLam
  • 10^21= aambal
Sanskrit texts elaborate the following version:
* 1 = ONDRU -one
* 10 = PATHU -ten
* 100 = NOORU-hundred
* 1,000 = AAYIRAM-thousand
* 10,000 = PATHTHAYIRAM -ten thousand
* 100,000 = LATCHAM-hundred thousand
* 1,000,000 = PATHU LATCHAM - one million
* 10,000,000 = KODI-ten million
* 100,000,000 = ARPUTHAM-hundred million
* 1,000,000,000 = NIGARPUTHAM- one billion
* 10,000,000,000 = KUMBAM-ten billion
* 100,000,000,000 = KANAM-hundred billion 
* 1,000,000,000,000 = KARPAM-one trillion 
* 10,000,000,000,000 = NIKARPAM -ten trillion
* 100,000,000,000,000 = PATHUMAM -hundred trillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000 = SANGGAM -quadrillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000 = VELLAM -ten quadrillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000 = ANNIYAM -hundred quadrillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 = ARTTAM -quintillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 = PARARTTAM -ten quintillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 = POORIYAM -hundred quintillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MUKKODI -sextillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MAHAYUGAM -ten sextillion

Fractions

  • 1= onRu
  • 3/4= mukkaal
  • 1/2= arai
  • 1/4= kaal
  • 1/5= naalumaa
  • 3/16= moonRu veesam
  • 3/20= moonRumaa
  • 1/8= araikkaal
  • 1/10= irumaa
  • 1/16= maakaaNi (veesam)
  • 1/20= orumaa
  • 3/64= mukkaal veesam
  • 3/80= mukkaaN
  • 1/32= araiveesam
  • 1/40 araimaa
  • 1/64= kaal veesam
  • 1/80= kaaNi
  • 3/320= araikkaaNi munthiri
  • 1/160= araikkaaNi
  • 1/320= munthiri
  • 1/102,400= keezh munthiri
  • 1/2,150,400= immi
  • 1/23,654,400= mummi
  • 1/165,580,800= aNu
  • 1/1,490,227,200= kuNam
  • 1/7,451,136,000= pantham
  • 1/44,706,816,000= paagam
  • 1/312,947,712,000= vintham
  • 1/5,320,111,104,000= naagavintham
  • 1/74,481,555,456,000= sinthai
  • 1/1,489,631,109,120,000= kathirmunai
  • 1/59,585,244,364,800,000= kuralvaLaippidi
  • 1/3,575,114,661,888,000,000= veLLam
  • 1/357,511,466,188,800,000,000= nuNNmaNl
  • 1/2,323,824,530,227,200,000,000= thaertthugaL

Currency

  • 1 pal(wooden discs/sea shellots)= (approximately) 0.9 grain
  • 8 (or 10 base 8) paRkaL =1 senkaaNi (copper/bronze) = 7.2 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 10 base 10 paRkal =9 grains)
  • 1/4 senkaaNi =1 kaalkaaNi (copper) =1.8 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 2.25 grains)
  • 64 (or 100 base 8) paRkaL = 1 KaaNap-pon a.k.a. Kaasu panam(gold) = 57.6 grains
  • 1 Roman dinarium was traded on par with 2 KaaNappon plus 1 SenkaaNi(=124 grains).
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