History of Measurement

Objectives:

a. Describe what it means to measure

b. Identify the development of measurement from the primitive to the present
international system of unit
c. Apply accurate measurement in daily life situation

Ancient Egyptians used units of measurement

based on body parts such as the cubit and the half
cubit. The cubit is the length of the forearm from
the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; that the
inch and foot, the units for length of the English
System of Measurement, are believed to be based
on the cubit. The Metric System of Measurement
became the dominant system in the 1900s and is
now used by most of the countries with a few
exceptions, the biggest exception being the United
States of America.
Divide the class into five groups. Each group will get the
measure of each item and share the results to the class after
completing the table

Item Hand of the tallest Meter Stick or

group member Ruler
1. length of the
teacher’s table
2. height of the
tallest student of
the group
3. width of the
blackboard
4. thickness of your
Math book
Answer the following questions;
1. Which unit of measure is more accurate? Why?
2. What are the advantages of using meter stick or ruler?
Identify whether the unit of measure is
expressed in standard form. If Yes write
IWY and VOICE if No.
1. 15 paces 6. 7 hours
2. 10 gallons 7. 12 meters
3. 25 cubits 8.10 digits
4. 7 kilos 9. 8 meters
5. 10 spans 10. 12 liters

Match each term with its meaning. Write the letter of your
answer.
____1. The metric unit used for length a.pace
____2. The thickness or width of the index finger b.cubit
____3. The distance of one full step c.digit
____4. A hundred meters d.hectometer
____5. The distance from the elbow e.meter to
the fingertips f. hand span
Identify the following unit of
measurement according to the system.
Write SHORT for metric and LONG for
English
1. meter __________
2. pounds __________
3. inch __________
4. yards __________
5. feet __________