Useful Information for American Living

To help you get more familiar with life in America, we have compiled the following resources to help you acclimate to your new environment.

American Money
Voltage Standard
Temperature
Weights and Measures
Clothing Sizes
Shoe Sizes
Web Sites for Nurses

American Money
All bills are the same size regardless of their face value. They are all green, although the newest $20 bills have some colour in them. The most common bills you will see are $1, $5, $10, $20 and $50.

American coins have the following value:

There are 100 pennies (cents) to one dollar ($1). Pennies are small and copper coloured.
There are 20 nickels to one dollar. A nickel is silver and larger than a penny. Nickels are worth 5 cents or 5 pennies.
There are 10 dimes to one dollar. A dime, strangely enough, is smaller than a penny but made of silver. A dime is worth 10 cents or 10 pennies.
There are 4 quarters to one dollar. A quarter is silver and larger than a nickel. A quarter is worth 25 cents or 25 pennies.

Voltage
American standard voltage is between 110-115 volts. Most likely your plug-in appliances from abroad will not work in the U.S. You can purchase an adapter at a hardware store or you can purchase new equipment at reasonable prices once you arrive in America. Visit the What to Pack section for more information about household appliances.

Temperature
America uses the Fahrenheit temperature as opposed to Celsius. Typical temperatures are:

Water Freezes:
0° Celsius 32° Fahrenheit
Normal Body Temperature:
34° Celsius 98.6° Fahrenheit
Water Boils:
100° Celsius 212° Fahrenheit

Formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius:

To convert a Fahrenheit temperature of 98.6 degrees into Celsius subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature to get 66.6. Then multiply 66.6 by five-ninths (0.56) to get 37 degrees Celsius.

Formula for converting Celsius to Fahrenheit:

To convert a Celsius temperature of 100 degrees into Fahrenheit, multiply the Celsius temperature by nine-fifths (1.8) to get 180. Then add 32 to 180 to get 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weights and Measures

America uses a measurement system called the U.S. customary system. This system consists of the following:

Distance

1 inch is about 2.5 centimeters
There are 12 inches in one foot
There are 3 feet in one yard
There are 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet in one mile

Volume (liquid)

1 ounce is about 29.57 milliliters
There are 8 ounces in a cup
There are 2 cups in a pint
There are 2 pints in a quart
There are 4 quarts in a gallon

Weight

1 ounce is about 28.35 grams
There are 16 ounces in one pound
There are 2,000 pounds in one ton

Below is a list of some of the most common units of measure and their formulas for conversion:

Conversion Formula	Example
(multiply by)
Millimeters into inches (.039)	50 millimeters x .039 = 1.95
Centimeters into inches (.394)	50 centimeters x .394 = 19.7
Meters into feet (3.281)	50 meters x 3.281 = 164.05 feet
Meters into yards (1.094)	50 meters x 1.094 = 54.7 yards
Kilometers into miles (.621)	50 kilometers x .621 = 31.05 miles

Inches into millimeters (25.4)	50 inches x 25.4 = 1,270 millimeters
Inches into centimeters (2.54)	50 inches x 2.54 = 127 centimeters
Feet into meters (.305)	50 feet x .305 = 15.25 meters
Yards into meters (.91)	50 yards x .91 = 45.5 meters

Ounces into milliliters (29.57)	50 ounces x 29.57 = 1,478.5 milliliters
Ounces into liters (.030)	50 ounces x .030 = 1.5 liters
Pints into liters (.473)	50 Pints x .473 = 2.37 liters
Quarts into liters (.946)	50 quarts x .946 = 47.3 liters
Gallons into liters (3.785)	50 gallons x 3.785 = 189.25 liters

Milliliters into ounces (.034)	50 milliliters x .034 = 1.7 ounces
Liters into ounces (33.814)	50 liters x 33.814 = 1,690.7 ounces
Liters into pints (2.113)	50 liters x 2.113 = 105.65 pints
Liters into quarts (1.057)	50 liters x 1.057 = 52.85 quarts
Liters into gallons (.264)	50 liters x .264 = 13.2 gallons

Weight ounces into grams (28.350)	50 ounces x 28.350 = 1,417.50 grams
Pounds into kilograms (.454)	50 pounds x .454 = 2.27 kilograms
Tons into metric tons (.907)	50 tons x .907 = 45.35 metric tons

Grams into ounces (.035)	50 grams x .035 = 1.75 ounces
Kilograms into pounds (2.205)	50 kilograms x 2.205 = 110.25 pounds
Metric tons into tons (1.102)	50 metric tons x 1.102 = 55.1 tons

Clothing Sizes
American clothing makers use different sizing systems for their clothes. The following is a chart that will help you compare your regular size to American sizes:

	Women
Clothing Size	US	UK	Europe
	6	8	34-36
	8	10	36-38
	10	12	38-40
	12	14	40-42
	14	16	42-44
	16	18	44-46
	18	20	46-48
	20	22	48

	Men
Clothing Size	US	UK	Europe
	34(S)	34	44
	36(M)	36	46
	38(M)	38	48
	40(L)	40	50
	42(XL)	42	52
	44(XL)	44	54
	46(XL)	46	56

Shoe Sizes
American shoe makers also use different sizing systems. The chart below will help you find your right size:

	Women
Shoe Size	US	UK	Europe
	4-4½	2½ - 3	34
	5	3½	35
	5½	4	35½ - 36
	6	4½	36
	6½	5	36½ - 37
	7	5½	37
	7½	6	37½ - 38
	8	6 ½	38
	8½	7	38½ - 39
	9	7½	39
	9½	8	39½ - 40
	10	8½	40
	10½	9	40½
	11	9½	41

	Men
Shoe Size	US	UK	Europe
	6	4½	39
	6½	5	39-40
	7	5½	40
	7½	6	40-41
	8	6½	41
	8½	7	42
	9	7½	42
	9½	8	43
	10	8½	43
	10½	9	44
	11	9½	44
	11½	10	45
	12	10½ - 11	46
	13	11½ - 12	47

Web Sites for Nurses
There are many great nursing Web sites that have excellent information about nursing in America, as well as continuing education classes.

More Information

Information on packing for your move.
Get answers to frequently asked questions.
Details on places to live in the United States.
Calculate your approximate take-home pay.