The pound avoirdupois is currently the unit of mass and weight normally used (except for precious metals and pharmaceuticals) in the United States, and traditionally has been as well in the United Kingdom and most countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, the pound is also used as a unit of weight, defined as equal to the force with which the Earth attracts a one-pound mass (at some standard point on the Earth's surface). When it is desired to distinguish the two, one refers to the pound-mass and the pound-force. See also: