Mathematics Seminar
Why is 1 gallon = 231 in3?
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OK, so 231 = 3 x 7 x 11 ... why choose that number?
A search on the web revealed that our present (U.S.) liquid gallon
is based on the old English "wine gallon"
(aka the "Queen Anne gallon"):
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/custom.html
But WHY is it 231 cubic inches?
I finally gave up on finding the answer myself and
appealed to "Dr. Math":
http://mathforum.com/dr.math/.
The answer I received from "Dr. Rick" pointed me to the following:
http://www.todd.demon.co.uk/encyc/measures1.htm