MAE3270 Module 5 - Lecture 2: Measurement

Chapter 1: Length

• 1 meter can be represented in various ways:

  • Straight piece of wood (meter ruler)

  • Line drawn on paper

  • Step along a number line (2.4m - 3.4m)

  • Length of the diagonal of a rectangle

  • Height of a shelf

  • Size of the gap between 2 rows of chairs

  • Height of a 4 yr old child

  • Distance between two points

  • Perimeter of a rectangle

  • Curved path

  • Circumference of a circle

Chapter 2: Comparing and Ordering

• Students measure by directly comparing 2 objects with the same attribute

• Ordering depends on the attribute being measured

  • Height, mass, angle, area, volume, capacity

• Practice in comparing and ordering objects with different attributes

• Start with comparing 2 objects and gradually move to 3 or more objects

Chapter 3: Non-standard units

• Non-standard units of measurement

  • Examples: handfuls, spoonfuls, amount of sand

• Difficult to compare as they can vary between people

• Most measurement principles still apply

  • Measurements are approximate

  • Chosen for convenience

• Larger unit used, smaller the value of the measurement

Chapter 4: Standard units

• Most countries use the International System of Units which is the modern form of the metric system

• Australian Curriculum introduces standard units in Year 3

• The metric system uses a set of standard prefixes to describe the relationships between units. These are based on powers of 10.