MTH 232
Section 10.1
The Measurement Process
The Measurement Process
1. Choose the property, or attribute, of an
object or event that is to be measured.
2. Select an appropriate unit of measurement.
3. Select an appropriate measurement device.
4. Express the measurement with the
appropriate units.
A History of Measurement
• In early times, units of measurement were defined more
for convenience than for accuracy.
• Many units of length correspond to parts of the human
body:
1. The foot was the length of a human foot.
2. The yard was the distance from a person’s nose to his
outstretched hand.
3. The cubit was the length of a person’s arm from elbow to
fingertip.
4. The hand was the width of a person’s hand with fingers
not spread.
5. The span was the width of a person’s hand with fingers
spread.
More History
• Eventually, these convenient measurements
became standardized to the English, or U.S.,
system we currently use.
• Some units (inch, foot, yard, mile) are more
familiar than others (rod, furlong).
• Learning this system requires extensive
memorization, and using the system involves
computations with cumbersome numerical
factors.
Quick Quiz!
• Fill in the blanks.
1. ____ inches = 1 foot
2. ____ feet = 1 yard
3. ____ feet = 1 mile
4. ____ feet = 1 rod
5. ____ feet = 1 furlong
Units of Area and Volume
• Area is the number of square units required to
cover a region.
• Area is typically expressed in “square” units.
• The acre, a unit of measurement that is equal
to 43,560 square feet, is also sometimes used.
• Volume is the number of cubic units requires
to fill a space.
• Volume is typically expressed in “cubic” units.
Units of Capacity
• Capacity is the volume that can be held in a
container such as a bottle, pan, basket, or
tank.
• Units of capacity include teaspoons,
tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts,
gallons, and bushels (used for dry measure).
The Metric System
• Surprisingly, the Metric System has been around
since the late 18th century.
• The official name is the International System of
Units, or the SI System.
• It was standardized in the early 1980’s and is now
used by nearly every industrialized nation in the
world.
• The United States has not fully converted, which
has led to many products having dual labeling.
How the Metric System Works
• The ratio of one unit of measure to another is
also a power of 10.
• Each power of 10 is given a prefix (e.g., kilo-,
milli-, or centi-) that modifies the fundamental
unit (meter, liter, or gram).
• Conversion between units is a matter of
moving the decimal point.
• “King Henry Doesn’t Usually Drink Chocolate
Milk”