MFU - A New Imperial System Defined for Money

What MFU? What is MFU? I hear you cry. No, it is not related to any mother at all.

MFU is an abbreviation of Money Freshness Unit. MFU is a measurement of the newness of your dough. It can be applicable to paper money as well as coins.

Decades after decades, years after years, we handle numerous cash transaction. We have seen cheese-old cash, which you cannot even recognize the face of Lincoln or Washington. Once in a while, we are lucky enough to touch and smell the freshness of a brand-new dollar bill. Based on an unofficial census, a person usually get a hand on cash or coins every 1 minute and 45 seconds. Money (cash/coins) has become an important part of our daily lives, and therefore, it is necessary to set up a system to define the freshness of money.

MFU shall be sub-categorized for paper money MFU(p) and coin MFU(c) applications. They are universal systems for all sorts of currency and can be explained as follows:

MFU(p) is measured at decibel (dB) measured from 1 foot from the subject being tested, paper money. The normal range of MFU(p) is between 10 dB (old cheese) and 60 dB (perfect). The perfectly brand new money shall make the sound of "tar" or "tark." Note: During the testing, money shall be hold at the upper left hand corner and a right index finger shall hit the lower right hand corner of the bill in order to comply to the ASTM testing standards.

MFU(c) is measured at lumen (Lu) measured from 5 foot from the subject being tested. The normal range of MFU(c) is between 0 Lu (worst) and 10 Lu (perfect). The perfectly brand new coin shall make the sound of "ding" or "cling" when it is spin in a drinking water glass. Note: The ASTM standards require that a Surefire flashlight with brand new batteries shall be used to shine on the subject at an angle of 45 degree (incident angle) perpendicular from the subject. Use a lighting measuring device to measure the reflected light from the tested subject and perform the same test for three times. Take the average of the three measurement as the MFU(c).

Reference:

1. Lei, Lemke, and Pavloff, "The Conversation about Money During the Road Trip from the Bay Area to Boston," August 2007.