The ton is a unit of mass.
Tonne is a term derived from the word tonel , which refers to a measure of mass in the International System of Units and in the metric system, with the symbol t . A ton is equivalent to a weight of 1,000 kilograms .
For example: “Elephants can weigh several tons” , “The bridge inaugurated yesterday has a resistance of one hundred tons” , “Don Ricardo is very happy: this season he managed to harvest a ton of soybeans” .
Use of the ton
As with all mass measurements, the usefulness of its use will be determined by the weight of the entity in question. Indicating the weight of a human being in tons is meaningless, since no person reaches this unit. Therefore, its weight should be expressed in decimals (a man can weigh 80 kilograms or 0.08 tons ).
However, for much heavier objects, the ton is more appropriate than the gram or kilogram. Let's suppose that a shipment of merchandise is sent from Argentina to Spain and the containers weigh 234 tons . If we wanted to express this weight in grams, we would have to refer to a very large figure ( 234,000,000 grams ).
In newspaper reports, the term "ton" often appears in relation to generally catastrophic or smuggling events, such as the discovery of tons of dead fish on the banks of a river or the seizure of tons of cocaine on an illegal property used by drug traffickers.
An elephant can weigh more than 10 tons.
Heavier animals
Elephants
This family of placental mammals is known throughout the world, thanks to the popularity of certain cartoon characters such as Dumbo , who present them to children, although with characteristics different from those they actually possess, and also because of their regrettable exploitation in circuses and zoos . They are extraordinary animals, which can weigh over 10 tons and live for more than 80 years. Apart from their immense size, they stand out for having great intelligence and a complex communication system .
Orcas
Orcas also owe much of their popularity to exploitation, in this case in water parks, although there are people who simply dedicate themselves to observing them, without violating their freedom, as is the case of the well-known activist Roberto Bubas , who fights for the liberation of these incredible animals . Although the mental image that many people may have of an orca is much larger than that of an elephant, their average weight is around 5.5 tons, approximately half that of the latter. If we consider that the weight of a normal person does not reach a tenth of a ton, it becomes very difficult to understand why these colossi do not impose more resistance to mistreatment.
Crocodiles
Although the largest crocodile on record weighed 1.7 tons and the next largest was less than half that weight, it is an animal especially feared by humans, given its huge mouth, its enormous strength and its hunting ability. Crocodiles can live in slow-flowing rivers or salty estuaries, and they are exceptional swimmers. Despite their ferocity, the young must endure great dangers to develop, and very few of each litter reach adulthood.
Other types of tons
It should be noted that the notion of ton can refer to other units of mass. In the Avoirdupois system , one can speak of a short ton (equivalent to 907.18474 kilograms ) or a long ton (equivalent to 1016.0469088 kilograms).
For Spanish nautical purposes, finally, the ton was the measure of capacity that was equivalent to eight cubic cubits of riverbank or 189.11 liters.