aliquot

Before entering fully into clarifying the meaning of the term aliquot, what we are going to do is discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can indicate that it derives from Latin, more specifically from the word "aliquot", which can be translated as "a certain number of". This, in turn, is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts: “alius”, which means “other”, and “quot”, which is “how much”.

It's about a adjective that alludes to what is proportional: that is, it is linked to a proportion (the correspondence that exists between the parts of something or between these parts and the whole).

The most common use of the concept of aliquot is linked to the aliquot, which is responsible for accurately measuring the whole (the whole is divided into equal parts). An aliquot, therefore, is a part of the total.

In one of the moments where the term aliquot is most used is when someone has died and their lawyer and notary will be in charge of carrying out the distribution of their inheritance. In that case, it is established that it will be divided into aliquots and each of these will correspond to one of its heirs.
In this way, it is established that, as a general rule, what usually happens with the wealth that someone who has died leaves is that they are divided into aliquots. What this means is that they are equal and proportional portions.

The idea of ​​an aliquot is used frequently in the field of economy, more precisely in what is related to taxes or tributes. The aliquots are proportions that are established through laws to determine a tax-type obligation.

On Argentina, for example, many products are taxed with the Value Added Tax (VAT). The VAT rate, at a general level, is twenty-one%. Thus, a manufacturer must add the twenty-one% in concept of VAT at the price you set for your products.

A producer decides a price of 50 pesos for a pants. When offering the product to the public, it adds the aliquot of VAT (twenty-one%). Therefore, the buyer should pay 60.5 pesos (the 50 pesos of the price plus the 10.5 pesos of VAT).

In the laboratories, the notion of aliquot is used with reference to the part of a mass or a volume taken to perform a test. The properties of that aliquot should represent the properties of the total substance.

A solution from 1 liter can be divided into four aliquots of 250 milliliters (0.25 liters). Each of these aliquots must have the same chemical and physical properties as the original sample.

As a general rule, within this scientific field, when an aliquot is to be taken, this is something that is done with a pipette that is properly graduated. In this way, the necessary and appropriate measure will be achieved.

Furthermore, in this case we have to underline the existence of different types of aliquots such as, for example, solid aliquots and liquid aliquots, among many others.