Section 11.1 - Linear Measurement Examples And Worksheets With Answer Key Page 2
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Foot:
In ancient times, the foot was 11
/42 inches. Today it is 12 inches,
the length of the average man's foot.
Yard:
A yard was originally the length of a man's belt or girdle, as it was
called. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England fixed the yard as the
distance from his nose to the thumb of his out-stretched arm. Today it is 36
inches, about the distance from nose to out-stretched arm of a man.
Cubit:
In ancient Egypt, a cubit was the distance from the elbow to the
fingertips. Today a cubit is 18 inches.
Lick:
A Lick was used by the Greeks to measure the distance from the tip of
the thumb to the tip of the index finger.
Pace:
The ancient Roman soldiers marched in paces, which were the length
of a double step, about 5 feet; 1,000 paces was a mile. Today, a pace is the
1
length of one step, 2
/2 to 3 feet.
Unfortunately, these creative measuring devices allowed for different
measurements to be obtained when different people measured the same
items. Eventually, a standard was set so that all measurements represented
the same amount for everyone .
Standard Measures of Length
Inch = 0.083 feet
•
Foot = 12 inches
•
Yard = 3 feet or 36 inches
•
Mile = 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards
•
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