Q:

# How much does one liter of water weigh?

A:

A single liter of water weighs precisely one kilogram, or 2.20 pounds. This is because liters and kilograms have historically been defined in terms of one another.

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When the metric system was first developed by a group commissioned by France's Louis XVI, a unit of mass called the grave was defined as being the weight of a block of ice one liter in size. The grave was later renamed the liter by the French Republic after Louis XVI was disposed. In 1889, the kilogram was redefined as being the mass of an example weight of platinum-iridium kept in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. In 1901, the liter was redefined as being the volume of pure water that has the same weight as that platinum-iridium mass. Since 1964, the liter has been defined as being a volume of water that weighs exactly one kilogram, or 2.20 pounds.

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## Related Questions

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A metric ton weighs 1,000 kilograms. A metric ton (t) is not part of the International System of Units but is approved for use. Ton can be spelled as "tonne," which is the standard spelling in the metric system. Prior to metrication, the ton weighed 1,016 kilograms, or 2,240 pounds.

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When measured in U.S. dollar bills, a million dollars weigh 2,202.6 pounds. The denomination of bills has a big effect on the weight.

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According to the Australian Aluminum Council, in 2001 the average aluminum can weighed 14.9 grams, which is about half an ounce. This means it takes roughly 32 empty aluminum cans to equal one pound.