Length
Length is
the distance from one end of an object to the other end.
Non-standard
Units of Length
In ancient
times, people used different parts of their body to measure length.
The
following are the common measurements that were used.
1. Handspan
The distance
between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the smallest finger in an
outstretched hand is called a handspan.
2. Footspan
The distance
from the largest toe to the heel is called a footspan.
3. Cubit
The distance
from the elbow to the tip of the largest finger is called a cubit.
4. Pace
The length
of one step while walking is called a pace.
These are
called the non-standard units of length. The
non-standard units vary from person to person.
Some
non-standard units of measurement include:
Example: Let us use a paper clip to measure
the length of an ice cream stick.
The length
of the ice cream stick is equal to the length of 4 paper clips.
Standard
Units of Length
The standard
unit of measuring length is metre. The short form of metre is m.
The length
of a cricket bat is about 1 m.
The larger
lengths such as the length of a room, the length of a varandah, the length of a
field, etc. are measured in metre.
The smaller
lengths such as the length of a pencil, the length of a mobile phone, etc. are
measured in centimetre.
1 m can be
divided in 100 smaller units. Each smaller unit is called 1 centimetre. The short
form of centimetre is cm.
1 m = 100 cm
The width of
a finger is almost 1 cm.
A Scale or
a Ruler
A scale or
a ruler is used to measure the smaller lengths accurately in
centimetres.
A scale or a
ruler shows both the inches and centimetres.
1 inch = 2 and ½ cm
A small
ruler is 15 centimetres long.
1 cm can be
divided into 10 equal parts. Each part is called 1 millimetre (mm).
1 cm = 10 mm
Weight
The weight of
an object tells us how heavy the object is.
Standard
Units of Weight
The standard
unit for measuring weight is kilogram.
We use grams
for lighter objects and kilograms for heavier objects. The short form of gram
is g and kilogram is kg.
1 kg = 1000 g
Example: Guess the weight of the following
objects.
1. The weight
of an eraser is _____________. (8 g / 2 kg)
2. The weight
of a motorcycle is ______________. (500 g / 150 kg)
Capacity
Capacity is
the amount of liquid a container can hold.
It is also
known as the volume of a container. Containers come in different shapes and
sizes. It is important to know how much liquid can be filled in a container.
Standard
Unit of Capacity
The standard
unit for measuring capacity is litre. The short form for litre is L.
1 L can be
divided into 1000 smaller units. Each smaller unit is called millilitre (mL).
1 L = 1000 mL
Example: Guess the capacity of the following
objects.
1. The capacity
of a cup is _____________. (125 mL / 25 L)
2. The
capacity of a bucket is ______________. (10 mL / 12 L)
Class
2 Measurement Test
Maths
Quiz for Class 2 Measurement
Class
2 Measurement Worksheet