It is important for both the young and the old to know how to read a ruler. It is one of the most essential as well as basic thing that one needs to know. We are constantly going to measure something or the other in our lives; be it the height of our children, a piece of cloth, or anything else.
There is absolutely no issue when one has the measurement is close to a whole number but when it is one of the tiny markings on the ruler, then things can get confusing. It is better to teach children about how to read a ruler as they are taught how to read a clock. These are things that will be helpful in the long run.
In the U.S. the rulers are marked in inches. Some rulers are marked in both inches as well as centimeters. However, most of us will be using the number closest to the inch for all practical purposes. Even children are taught to read as 1/4th, 1/8th, ½, 3/4th, as well as 1”. Only other professionals such as architects and builders etc might require the precise measurements in their professions.
The ruler is basically one foot in length and is also called the foot ruler. It has marking of 12 inches. The smaller markings in between each inch are known as the sub inches. The longer line (halfway mark) is the ½ – inch mark. Now observe the halfway mark in between the ½ -inch mark (third longest line) that is the ¼ inch mark. So it goes up by ¼ inch each time, so the next is 3/4th inch.
While learning to use the ruler, it is better to count each marking which would measure up to 1/16th of an inch. For instance, 8/16 is nothing but ½ when simplified as a fraction.
With some practice it would get much easier to measure things without having to physically count each marking. One’s basic knowledge in fractions would also improve. Reading a ruler in the metric system is also similar and one needs to get familiar with the uses of both.
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