Cup
From Thinkmath
This section or page is incomplete. You can help by expanding it. Click edit at the top 
or side 
of the page. Then type your contribution, and click 
at the bottom. Editors will help with format and details.
Contents |
Meaning
Informally, a quantity that roughly fills a standard-sized coffee cup. Formally, a unit of capacity (volume) equal to exactly 8 fluid ounces. It can be used as a measure of a volume of liquid or as a dry measure (e.g., a cup of flour). In either case, it refers to the same volume.
| From... | To... | Tablespoons | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 8 oz (8 ounces) | 24 | 20 |
| 1 pint | 2c (2 cups) | 25 | 21 |
| 1 quart | 4c (2 pints) | 26 | 22 |
| 1 half gallon | 8c (2 quarts) | 27 | 23 |
| 1 gallon | 16c (2 half gallons) | 28 | 24 |
For more detail, see "Cup" on Rowland's Dictionary of Units of Measurement.
Mathematical background
Notice that this system of measurements is based entirely on doubling: A tablespoon doubled, doubled again, and doubled a third time is a half-cup. Double again to get a cup; again to get a pint; again to get a quart; again to get a half-gallon; and again to get a gallon.
