Gram

A gram is a unit used to measure weight that is smaller than a kilogram. Weight measures how heavy something is, and different units like kilograms, grams, and milligrams are used depending on how much of an item is being weighed.

The kilogram as a standard unit

The kilogram, often called a kilo, is the standard unit used to measure weight. Some items, like eggs, are simply counted by number, such as asking a shopkeeper for six eggs. Other groceries, like rice or lentils, cannot be counted individually, so they are measured in kilograms. Kilograms are also used to measure fruits and vegetables, such as a kilo of apples or a kilo of tomatoes, as well as a person's body weight, such as fifty-nine kilograms.

Smaller units for smaller amounts

Smaller units of weight are needed when measuring smaller quantities of items.

• A gram is a smaller unit of weight than a kilogram, used when buying ingredients like fifty grams of cashews or cardamom for payasam.
• One kilogram is made up of exactly one thousand grams, meaning that one thousand grams of rice is the same as one kilogram of rice.
• A milligram is an even smaller unit of weight used for very tiny amounts.
• When food needs extra salt, a person does not add a kilogram or a hundred grams, but sprinkles a light drizzle, which is measured in milligrams.
• Just as one thousand grams make a kilogram, one thousand milligrams make up one gram.

Comparing weights of dal packets

The relationship between grams and kilograms allows different packet sizes to equal the exact same total weight. If someone buys four packets of urad dal that each weigh five hundred grams, those packets combine to make two kilograms. Whether measuring two times one kilo, adding one kilo plus one kilo, or combining four packets of five hundred grams, the total amount of dal remains exactly two kilograms.