science

Moio (unit)

Moio (unit) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Moio (unit) rather than just read about it. In short: Moio or mojo, formerly moyo, from the Latin "modius", was a metrological term used for grain and liquid in Galicia, Portugal and its colonies. In ancient Rome, the moio ("modius") was a measure of capacity equivalent to 8.7 to 9.2 liter.

Key takeaways

Moio (unit) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Moio (unit) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Moio (unit) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Moio or mojo, formerly moyo, from the Latin "modius", was a metrological term used for grain and liquid in Galicia, Portugal and its colonies. In ancient Rome, the moio ("modius") was a measure of capacity equivalent to 8.7 to 9.2 liter. Throughout the history of Portugal, moio has designated different measures, whether of capacity for solids and liquids, or for surfaces of land. As a measure of capacity, it was usually defined by a number of alqueires or almudes and divided into 4 quarteiros. The transformation of the volume measure into a surface measure (agrarian measure) occurred by determining the average area of land that could be sown with a moio of seed.

1 moio = 15 fangas/fanegas = 60 alqueire = 120 meios alqueires (1/2 alqueire) = 240 quartas = 480 oitavas = 960 sixteenths (half eights) = 1,920 maquias. The moio was used in Portugal and its colonies until the first half of the 19th century. In 1852, Portugal adopted the metric system. Brazil, an independent nation since 1822, adopted the metric system in 1861.

Portugal In the 11th century, in the county of Portucale, moios with capacities in the order of magnitude of 3 to 9 Roman modii, or 26 to 83 liters, are documented. Its most common value would be perhaps 6 Roman moios. In the system of the county of Portucale, however, the moio had come to represent 64 alqueires, in other words, around 220 liters. In the system introduced by Afonso I, the definition of the moio was maintained, but given the increase in the capacity of the alqueire, the moio came to be equivalent to about 560 liters. In parallel with these main systems, there were still systems in which the mopio had a very reduced capacity, such as the salt measurement system in Aveiro, where the moio was of only 13.1 liters. Under the reign of Pedro I of Portugal, due to a new increase in the capacity of the legal alqueire, the moio came to be equivalent to about 630 liters. In the system of Manuel I, the moio came to represent the number of 60 alqueires of Lisbon (each alqueire was 13.1 liters), which resulted in a value of about 790 liters. Despite the efforts of the successive monarchs to standardize, the value of the moio continued to vary from region to region - although to a lesser extent than in the Middle Ages - according to the value of the alqueire. As a unit of volume, the moio is now obsolete.

1 moio = 40.858,2549 Parisian cubic inches = 810.48 liters (Portugal, general) 1 Lisbonese Moio = 830.46 Liter (Alqueire = 13.841 liters In Porto, an Oportan alqueire equalled to 830 Parisian cubic inches and 16.462 litres

1 moio = 60 alqueires (Oporto) = 49.800 Parisian cubic inches = 987.852 litres Considering the goods, there were measurements for them:

Raw lime: 1 moio = 30 alqueiras = 405.24 litre = ½ Getreide-Moio Calcium hydroxide: 50 alqueiras = 675.4 litre

Brazil In Rio de Janeiro, an alqueiro equaled to 13.5 liters and 681 Parisian cubic inches

1 Moio = 40.860 Parisian cubic inches = 810.5146 liters

Cape Verde 1 Moio = 52 Alqueiras (the measurement that equalled to the one in Rio de Janeiro)

Bibliography NOBACK, Christian, and Friedrich Eduard NOBACK (1851) Vollständiges Taschenbuch der Münz-, Maß- und Gewichtsverhältnisse. volume 1, 2, F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851. SEABRA LOPES, L. "As Antigas Medidas do Sal de Aveiro". Boletim Municipal de Cultura, Ano XVIII, nº 36, Câmara Municipal de Aveiro, 2000, p. 59-73. SEABRA LOPES, L. "Sistemas Legais de Medidas de Peso e Capacidade, do Condado Portucalense ao Século XVI", Portugalia: Nova Série, XXIV, 2003, Faculdade de Letras, Porto, p. 113-164. SEABRA LOPES, L. "O Moio-medida e o Moio dos Preços em Portugal nos Séculos XI a XIII". Anuario de Estudios Medievales, vol. 35 (1), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Barcelona, 2005, p. 25-46. WACH, Anton (1863) Gemeinnütziger Bauratgeber bei allen Arbeits- und Materialberechnungen im Baufach. Friedrich Lempsky, Prague 1863.

See also Moy (salt) Portuguese customary units

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Moio (unit)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Moio (unit) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Moio (unit) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Moio (unit) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Moio (unit)

In research: Moio (unit) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Moio (unit) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Moio (unit) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Agriculture in Brazil, Agriculture in Portugal, Obsolete units of measurement, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Moio (unit) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Moio (unit) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Moio (unit) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Moio (unit) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Moio (unit) in simple terms?

Why does Moio (unit) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Moio (unit)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Moio (unit).