In this activity, students investigate the use of body parts such as the arm and fingers as a basis for developing a length measuring system.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- use arm and finger parts to develop a length measuring system
- recognise the need to standardise a length measurement system
- understand that every measurement consists of two parts – a number and a unit
- recognise that there is a degree of uncertainty with every measurement taken.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background notes
- what you need
- what to do
- discussion questions.
Related content
Learn more about the history of measurement – and the need for standardised measurements – in the article, featuring an interactive timeline.