Measurement

We measure various objects in life. Measurement is one of the fundamental concepts used for measuring distance, length and breadth, weight, etc.

In earlier days, there were no measuring devices or instruments. People used to measure through estimation of their methods, such as:

• To measure a field, they used feet or pace.
• To measure cloth, they used a hand span, etc.
• To measure rice or cereals for cooking in the kitchen, they measured the quantities by cup and glass.

However, these were not accurate measurements. We need to measure the objects in standard units.

Let us learn more in detail about measurements in this chapter.

Measurement of Length

• Length is measured in centimetres (cm), metres (m), and kilometres (km).
• We measure the length of the spoon in centimetres.
• One metre rod is used to measure the length of the cloth.
• Sometimes we use feet or inches for measuring length.
• With the help of a measuring tape, we can measure the length of the chair, table, small cloth, etc., in centimetres.
• We measure the breadth of a room in metres
• Long distances are measured in kilometres.
• Short and very short distances are measured in metres and centimetres, respectively.
• We measure the distance from Bangalore to Delhi in kilometres.

Convention of centimetres into metres

To convert centimetres into metres, divide centimetres by 100.

If 100 centimetres = 1 metre

400 centimetres = how many metres?

400 / 100 = 4 metres.

Below are a few conversions – centimetres into metres

Convention of metres into kilometres

To convert metres into kilometres, divide metres by 1000.

If 1000 metres = 1 kilometre

4000 metres = = how many kilometres?

4000/1000 = 4 kilometres

Below are a few conversions – metres into kilometres

Measurement of Weight

We measure weight in grams and kilograms.

Earlier, people used pav, tola, seer and chatak to measure weights. Today we use various types of balances in which weights are not required.

• To weigh lighter objects, we use grams (g).

For example, 50 gm of cardamom, 100 gm of cloves, etc.

• To weigh lighter quantities, we use kilograms (kg)

For example, 5 kilograms of rice, 20 kilograms of sugar, etc.

1000 grams makes 1 kilogram.

• To weigh heavier quantities, we use quintal.

For example, One quintal of rice, a quintal of paddy, etc.

100 kilogram makes 1 quintal.

Measurement of Liquids

We measure liquids in millilitres (ml), litres (lt) and kilolitres (kl). For measuring liquids, we use different measuring vessels.

• To measure lesser quantities of liquid, we use millilitres (ml)

For example, 3ml of syrup, 0.5 ml of the essence, etc.

• To measure smaller quantities of liquid, we use litres (l).

For example, 5 litres of milk, 10 litres of oil etc.

1000 millilitres makes 1 litre

• To measure larger quantities of liquid, we use kilolitres (kl).

Kilolitres (kl) are used to measure liquids in large tanks, water in the water tank, etc.

1,000 litres makes 1 kiloliter.

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