Early Measurement

History
to
Metric System
What Do the Following Terms Mean?

• The Cubit . . .
• The Fathom . . .
• The Hand/span . . .
• The Pace . . .
• The Foot . . .
• The Girth . . .
• The Palm . . .
The Cubit

The cubit was the The cubit is the

measurement used by measure from your
the Egyptians to build elbow to the tip of
the pyramids. your middle finger
when your arm is
extended.
The Fathom
The fathom was used The fathom is the
by seamen to measure from
measure the depth of fingertip to fingertip
water so that boats when your arms are
would not run stretched sideways as
aground and be far as they will go.
stranded. You sometimes see a
rope or fabric
measured in this way.
The Hand-span

The hand-span was The hand-span is the

used to measure the measure from the tip
height of horses. of your pinky to the
People still describe tip of your thumb
horses as being so when your hand is
many hands high. stretched out.
The Pace

This term was used The pace is the

by the Roman army measure of distance
to judge speed. The from one step to
term is still used another.
frequently during
various types of foot
races.
The Foot
A measurement King Henry 1
equal to the length standardized this
of an individuals measurement,
foot. because his foot was
12 inches long.
The Girth

Girth was a The girth was the

measurement often measurement around
used to measure one’s stomach (your
fishing line. belt measure).
The Palm

The palm is the

width of your four
fingers when they
are placed
together.
Units and Standards

• Even though you

both used hands
to measure, you
didn’t check to
see whether your
hands were the
same width as
your friend’s.
Units and Standards

• So in order to avoid confusion we use

measurement standards.
• A standard is an exact quantity that
people agree to use to compare
measurements.
Units and Standards

• In the United States, we commonly use

units such as inches, feet, yards, miles,
gallons, and pounds. This is known as
the English system of measurement.
• Most other nations and the scientific
community use the metric system
- a system of measurement based on multiples of ten.
International System of Units

• In 1960, an improvement was made to

the metric system. This improvement is
known as the International System of
Units.

• This system is abbreviated SI from the

French Le Systeme Internationale
d’Unites.
International System of Units

• The standard kilogram is kept in Sèvres,

France.
• All kilograms used throughout the world
must be exactly the same as the kilogram
kept in France because it is the standard.
Why it is so important?
CNN News Headline
NASA: Human error caused loss of Mars orbiter
November 10, 1999

• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Failure to convert English measures to metric

values caused the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter, a spacecraft that
smashed into the planet instead of reaching a safe orbit, a NASA
investigation concluded Wednesday.
• The Mars Climate Orbiter, a key craft in the space agency's
exploration of the red planet, vanished after a rocket firing
September 23 that was supposed to put the spacecraft on orbit
around Mars.
International System of Units

• Each type of SI
measurement
has a base unit.

• The meter is the

base unit of
length.
International System of Units

• Every type of
quantity measured
in SI has a symbol
for that unit.

• All other SI units are

obtained from these
seven units.
Sometimes You Have to Convert
Between Different Units

• How many seconds are in a day?

• How many inches are in a centimeter?

• If you are going 50 miles per hour,
how many meters per second are you
traveling?
• To answer these questions you need
to change (convert) from one unit to
another.
How do you change units?

• Whenever you have to convert a physical

measurement from one dimensional unit to
another, dimensional analysis is the
method used.

• So what is dimensional analysis?

The converting from one unit system to another.
 Example Problem #1

• How many feet are in 60 inches?

What units you have x What units you want = What units you want
What units you have

The number & units The units you

you start with The conversion factor want to end with
(The equality that looks like a fraction)
Example
• 1.) How many miles will a person run
during a 10 kilometer race?
• 2.) The moon is 250,000 miles away.
How many feet is it from earth?