Why is a pound 16 ounces?

Throughout the pound’s history as a unit of weight, it has been divided into 10, 12, 14, or 16 different units. It is divided into sixteen units or ‘ounces’ today, because it was agreed upon during the development of the avoirdupois standard that 16 subdivisions of the pound, represented with ‘ounces’, was the most convenient way to divide it.