Prealgebra for Two-Year Colleges/Workbook AIE/Measuring distances
Measuring Distances
Materials Needed: Ruler marked in inches and cm, string, scissors to cut the string
Why
[edit | edit source]When you are given a map, blueprint, or diagram, you often need to measure with a ruler to get the information you need to solve the problem.
Learning Objectives
[edit | edit source]- Use a ruler to measure perimeters (whole numbers of inches and cm).
- Use a string and a ruler to measure paths that are not straight (whole numbers of inches).
Warm-up
[edit | edit source]- 1. Explain how to calculate the perimeter of an object.
- Add up the lengths of all the sides.
- 2. Which of the following objects can be used to help you measure perimeter? How?
- Measuring cup
- Graph paper
- Ruler
- 3”×5” index card
- String
- Sand
Activity
[edit | edit source]- 1. Without measuring, decide which of the following shapes has the larger perimeter. Explain your reasoning.
- 2. Use a ruler to measure the perimeter of the rectangle in inches.
- 3. Use a ruler to measure the perimeter of the “H” figure in centimeters.
- 4. Use a ruler to measure the perimeter of the triangle in inches.
- 5. Use a piece of string and a ruler to measure the perimeter of the oval in inches.
- 6. Use a piece of string and a ruler to measure the length of the curved path in inches.
- 7. Use a piece of string and a ruler to measure the shortest path on the map along the highways from the bull’s eye in Antioch to the bull’s eye in Oakland in inches.
- 4 inches, to the nearest whole inch
- 8. If each inch on the map represents 10 miles in real life, then how far is it between the spots represented by the bull’s eyes?
- 40 miles