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Math 9 Numeracy – Unit 5.4

- Understanding Units of Measurement

5.4 – Understanding Units of Measurement

Measurement is the process in which we assign common units to assess distance, mass, or volume. There are two basic units of measurement, the Imperial System and the Metric System.

The imperial system, which is used in the United States, uses inches, feet, yards and miles as its units of measuring distance. For measuring mass (weight) it uses pounds and tons and for volume (space or liquids) it uses gallons.

The metric system, however, is recognized as the international unit of measurement, and is used by the vast majority of countries in the world. The metric system is the official unit of measurement for Canada, but only since 1970. Because Canada does so much trade with the United States, which uses the imperial system, Canadians still use both units of measurement.

Here is a chart that identifies how the different units of measurement for distance in the imperial system are related;

|12 inches (in) |= |1 foot (ft) |

|3 feet |= |1 yard (yd) |

|36 inches |= |1 yard |

|5,280 feet |= |1 mile (mi) |

Essentially, you can use these comparisons as ratios in order to convert between units. For example, in order to find out how many inches there are in 3 feet, solve as follows;

Your turn…

Convert the following measurements from one to the other. The first one has been done for you. SHOW ALL YOUR WORK FOR FULL MARKS!!!

Here are some more…

Using an Imperial Ruler

A ruler is used to measure small, commonly used units of lengths such as inches. An imperial ruler is divided first and most prominently by inch units.

Each inch unit on the ruler is divided into smaller units. These smaller units are always expressed as fractions. Such as halves, quarters, eights, and sixteenth (each fraction being one half of the one before).

Your turn…

Directions: Write the length of each line segment show on the ruler.

When you have measurements that are longer than 1 inch, you state the inches first, then state the fraction of the inch. For example;

Your turn…

Directions: Write the length of each line segment.

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