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Ounce in Math: Definition, Examples, and Facts

Jessica Kaminski

reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes

Updated on October 15, 2024

Welcome to another interesting and informative article from Brighterly, where we break down math concepts to help you learn them with ease.

Today, we’re going to cover a key weight measurement: the ounce. You’ll encounter the ounce measurement in your everyday life, so it’s a measurement you should become familiar with.

Here, we’ll cover what an ounce is, examples of ounces and how to calculate ounces. We’ll also share practice problems and worksheets so you can put your knowledge to the test.

What is an ounce?

An ounce is a unit of weight measurement in the imperial and customary US systems. If you haven’t already encountered the ounce unit, you definitely will throughout your life! You’ll also come across the ounce sign, which is oz.

Are ounces weight or volume?

Ounces are a unit of dry weight. However, you may have also heard of the fluid ounce, which is a unit of volume.

What is oz in measurement?

1 oz is a distinct unit of weight. If you’re more familiar with other measurements, there are plenty of weight measurements one ounce is equal to.

So, how big is 1oz? It is equal to:

• 1/16 pound
• 28.35 grams
• 0.2˙ cup (an easier way to remember this is 4.5 ounces to a cup)
• 0.02834 kg

Ounce example 1

An example of an item that weighs an ounce is a school pencil, which will usually weigh around one single ounce.

Ounce example 2

Another example of an ounce would be a dry slice of bread. 

16 oz example

Many items are weighed in multiple oz. For example, if you’ve ever ordered a steak, you may have ordered a 16 oz steak!

How to calculate oz

If you’re calculating ounce units from other weight measurements, there are some easy formulas you can use to calculate oz:

• Pounds to ounces: pounds x 16 = ounces
• Grams to ounces: grams ÷ 28.35 = ounces
• Cups to ounces: cups x 4.5 = ounces
• Kilograms to ounces: kilograms x 35.274 = ounces

Is an ounce smaller than a gram?

An ounce is not a smaller measurement than a gram. For every ounce, there are 28.35 grams, meaning grams weigh less than an ounce.

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Solved math tasks: examples

Ready to practice your new knowledge on ounces? Try out our solved math tasks below – carry out the exercises yourself then check your answers to see how many you got right!

Solved math task 1

How many ounce units are there in 25 pounds?

Answer:

To find out how many ounces (oz) there are in a measurement of pounds, you multiply your number of pounds by 16.

25 pounds x 16 = 400 pounds.

Solved math task 2

How many pounds are there in 48 ounces?

Answer:

To find out how many pounds there are in a measurement of ounces (oz), you divide your number of ounces by 16.

48 ounces ÷ 16 = 3 pounds.

Solved math task 3

How many ounces are there in 900 grams?

Answer:

To find out how many ounces there are in a measurement of grams, we divide our number of grams by 28.35.

900 grams ÷ 28.35 = 31.75 grams

Ounce in math: practice math problems

Ounce in math: worksheets

Ready to put your knowledge on ounce units and other measurements to the test? Download our fun, free math worksheets!

• Measuring units worksheets
• Measurement conversion worksheets
• Measurement worksheets
• 3rd grade measurement worksheets

Jessica Kaminski

70 articles

Jessica is a a seasoned math tutor with over a decade of experience in the field. With a BSc and Master’s degree in Mathematics, she enjoys nurturing math geniuses, regardless of their age, grade, and skills. Apart from tutoring, Jessica blogs at Brighterly. She also has experience in child psychology, homeschooling and curriculum consultation for schools and EdTech websites.