CHAPTER II. 

 MEASUREMENT OF LENGTH. 



2. LENGTH. 



i. Simple measurements. Obtain a rule divided into inches and eighths 

 or sixteenths of an inch on one edge, and tenths on the other edge. Measure 

 the length, or width, of any convenient object, such as the top of a table 

 or desk. Write down the length in feet, inches, and fractions of an inch, 

 thus : 



Width of desk, 2 feet, 3f inches. 



Length of sheet of foolscap paper, 1 foot, 1J inches. 



ii. Decimal fractions. Look at the part of a rule having inches divided 

 into tenths. How many tenths are there in half an inch ? The tenths 

 of an inch can be written like common fractions, for instance, T V signifies 

 one-tenth, and & means three-tenths. A more convenient way is to separate 

 the inches from the tenths by means of a dot. Thus, a length of 6 T % in. is 

 written on this Decimal System as 6-3. The two ways of writing tenths in 

 common and decimal fractions may be compared as follows : 



Common \ 123 * & e j soio 

 fractions/ * T * 



f^clSns} 0>1 ' ' 2 ' ' 3 > ' 4 ' ' 5 ' ' 6 ' ' 7 ' ' 8 ' ' 9 ' * 

 iii. Measurements in tenths. Measure one or two small objects as before, 

 using the part of your rule divided into inches and tenths. Write down 

 the number of inches and tenths ; thus, length of a new lead pencil, 7*1 

 inches. 



JJ I 



|;l I I I I ! i i I I ! L-U,;| 



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INCHES &TENTHS 

 CENTIMETRES & MILLIMETRES 



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FIG. 1. A ruler showing Inches and tenths, Centimetres and Millimetres. 



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