Weighing objects is an important skill to learn, especially when you’re a cook or hobbyist who uses tools like scales. But sometimes it’s helpful to have a reference point that can help you understand how heavy or light something is without having to weigh it. The following list includes some common items that have a very light weight of about 10 grams.
A nickel
The nickel is a five-cent coin that features the portrait of Thomas Jefferson on one side and his Virginia home, Monticello, on the other. The coin is featherlight and can make for an easy way to measure the weight of a small object such as a pair of cufflinks. Heavier cufflinks will have more mass, but two of them will still only weigh around ten grams.
A tablespoon
Tablespoons are a unit of measurement for volume, but they can also be used as a handy reference point when it comes to measuring the weight of a small item. For example, a spoonful of sugar weighs about four grams. This is because sugar has a high density, meaning it takes more grams of the substance to have the same volume as an equal amount of water or other liquid.
Other items that can be used as a reference point for the weight of ten grams include a standard piece of US currency, such as a twenty-dollar bill or a fifty-dollar note. The bills are also useful as they can be stacked to give you an idea of how much a stack of ten grams would weigh. Similarly, a stack of fifty Jenga blocks would have a weight of about ten grams.