Tiny but mighty
Twenty U.S. nickels make a handy 100-gram reference.
20 × 5.000 g = 100 g
Based on the U.S. Mint's specified nominal mass — not a laboratory calibration weight. Real coins can vary slightly with manufacturing tolerance and wear.
Calculated against a stated reference
Why this is interesting
Coins can be more than pocket rulers. A known coin specification also gives you a mental reference for mass.
That makes this the mass counterpart to the quarter-thickness facts.
How this measurement works
The U.S. Mint specifies the current nickel at a nominal 5.000 g. Twenty of them make exactly 100 g on paper. The arithmetic is exact; the coins in your pocket are only as close as their tolerances and wear allow.
See the math
- One nickel
- 5.000 gSource value
- U.S. Mint nominal mass
- Twenty nickels
- 20 × 5.000 g = 100 gResult
- Exact, given the nominal reference
How certain is this?
Derived from standardized nominal specification. 5.000 g is the U.S. Mint's nominal mass, so 100 g follows exactly. Individual circulated coins can differ slightly.
Based on the 5.000 g specified mass per nickel.
Sources & further reading
United States Mint
Coin Specifications(opens external site) — NickelNickel nominal mass = 5.000 g