University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

Download PDF 
Publication #CIR105

A Beginners Guide to Water Management - Symbols, Abbreviations & Conversion Factors1

Florida LAKEWATCH2

This 44-page booklet provides the tools for reading, converting, interpreting and/or translating units of measure commonly used by people involved in water management in the U.S. and internationally. Much of this information is typically only available by searching numerous publications, but we have assembled it here under one cover for quick reference. Included in this circular:

  • Common SI (International System) Prefixes

  • Commonly Used Abbreviations and Symbols

  • Commonly Used Metric and English Conversion Factors

  • A Glossary of Commonly Used Metric and English Conversion Factors

  • Elements and Atomic Weights

  • Interpreting Water Chemistry Formulas and Calculating Molecular Weights

  • Different Ways of Expressing a Chemical Compound

  • Using Atomic Weights to Compare Different Measures of Concentration

Keywords: abbreviation, acre, area, atomic weights, calories, carbon-12, Celcius, centimeter, common prefixes, communication, concentration, conversion factor, conversions, cubic, element, ergs, exponent, Fahrenheit, fathom, feet, gallon, grains, gram, hectare, inches, International System (SI), kilo, length, liter, lumen, mass, meter, metric, metric system, micro, mille, mole, molecular weight, molecule, multiplying factor, nutrients, ounces, prefix, pressure, quart, relative, atomic, weight, scientific, language, scientific, notation, square, standardize, symbols, temperature, thousand, ton, translators, unit of measure, volume, watt, weight, yard.

Note: Circular 105 is available in Portable Document Format (pdf) only. It can be obtained as a single PDF file by clicking on the "Printer Friendly Version" link above (file size = 1 MB).

Photos used with permission as credited.

Footnotes

1.

This document, CIR105, is the fifth of a series of information circulars dedicated to familiarizing citizens with the language and techniques used by those involved in water management. © April 2002, 2nd Edition. Reviewed May 2009. Printed copies are available through the UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Service Web site (http://edis.ufl.edu) and also from the Florida LAKEWATCH Web site (http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/LWcirc.html). Readability grade level: 12.0.

2.

Florida LAKEWATCH (FLW) is a research and public outreach program coordinated within the UF/IFAS Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. FLW facilitates public involvement in the management of Florida waters by training citizen volunteers to collect monthly water samples, algae samples, and water clarity data from a lake or waterbody of their choice. Over time, this information is used to document nutrient levels and/or to predict biological productivity. For more information about the program or to obtain FLW data, call 1-800-LAKEWATch (1-800-525-3928) or view the Web site at http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.