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Measuring Length Accurately

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Measuring Length Accurately

Help the history museum team check object labels and plan a display. Choose suitable units, read scales carefully, and include units in every measurement. Show working where asked.

Choose tools and units

At the museum, each object needs an accurate measurement for its display label.

1.Oliver is measuring the length of a small bone tool, about 14 cm long. Which tool is most suitable, and why is it better than a tape measure for this job?

2.Freya must record the width of a display cabinet, which is about 1.8 m. Which unit is most appropriate for the label?

Millimetres (mm)
Centimetres (cm)
Metres (m)

3.A label-maker has a ruler with a chipped end, so its first clear mark is 2 cm. Talia lines one end of a ribbon up with that mark; the other end reaches 19.6 cm. What is the ribbon’s length? Include the unit.

4.Select every good practice for measuring the length of a straight object accurately.

Keep the ruler straight alongside the object.
Read the scale at eye level.
Write the unit with the measurement.
Begin at zero, or subtract the starting reading if zero is damaged.
Tilt the ruler so its edge touches the object at only one point.

Read, convert and compare

The museum team uses a scale drawing and measurement records to plan a display.

5.A scale diagram shows a carved panel starting at 0 cm and ending at 8.4 cm. How long is the panel in millimetres?

6.The display plinth is 1 m 20 cm long. Write its length in centimetres, then in metres.

7.Oliver estimated a woven strip at 25 cm. Its measured length is 23.4 cm. How far off was his estimate?

8.Order these recorded lengths from shortest to longest: 15 mm, 2 cm, 25 mm, 1.5 cm. Give each in millimetres to show your comparison.

Check the museum records

Use careful reasoning to spot an error and plan one measurement of your own.

9.A record says a display case is 0.75 m long, but the new label says 75 mm. Are the records equivalent? Correct the label if needed.

TrueFalse

10.The measured lengths of three museum objects are: clay pot, 18.6 cm; bone tool, 143 mm; woven strip, 0.21 m. Which is longest? Show how you compare them using one unit.

11.Choose one safe, straight object available to you. Estimate its length, measure it with an appropriate tool, then record the estimate and measured length with units. Explain one step you took to make the measurement accurate.