how to read a ruler in inches

All fractions must have a denominator of 8, 4 or 2. 5 7/8 inches (also acceptable: 5 14/16 inches). You might see inches on the other side of your metric ruler. Like 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8. I didn't even know that metric means reading from left to right. Use the bigger marks between two inch markings for half-inches. Reading a metric ruler worksheet answers. Each foot is broken down into inches. By using our site, you agree to our. A half-inch mark is always centered between any two one-inch marks. The ruler is read from left to right. Make sure you read the ruler from left to right. The longer the line on the surface of the ruler, the bigger the measurement is. In the following lesson, you will learn how to read both an imperial and metric ruler. The space between the lines is 1/16 inch which is smallest measurable part. Every mark is 1/4th of an inch. Example: If you were to measure the width (instead of length) of a piece of computer paper, the piece should come up exactly to the 1/2 inch line between 8 and 9 inches, indicating that the width is 8 1/2 (8.5) inches. Example: If you were to measure the length of a sheet of computer paper, the piece of paper would come up to the 11-inch mark on your ruler, indicating that it's exactly 11 inches long. Ask below and we'll reply! ", http://www.craft-a-project.com/Ruler-Measurements.html, http://www.askmrcscience.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/readingametricruler.pdf, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The middle-length line on a metric ruler is the 1/2 (0.5) centimeter line, which comes midway between every centimeter (in other words, it's the fifth line after every whole centimeter): So if you counted five lines from 9 cm, for instance, you’d get 9.5 cm (or 95 mm). What is 55.5? There will always be 10 lines from one centimeter to the next centimeter. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. Take a look at the following English Rulers: A ruler marked in 4ths. For example, to measure 0.6 cm, count one thick line (5 mm) and one thin line (1 mm). We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Your button is 1.5cm long. Each of these tiny lines represents a fraction of an inch. The second-biggest unit on a ruler is the 1/2 inch, which is represented by the second-longest line. Or what if you mess up a science experiment because you didn’t accurately read the measurement of a piece of string you cut? No one ever broke it down and worked backwards to explain it - that's why I couldn't get it. And the last one 1/32 inches ruler divided by 32 verticle lines. ", parts of a measuring tape. 6 mm is almost a quarter inch, whereas half an inch looks closer to 12-13 mm, so 5.5 would be close to a quarter of an inch. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Example: You count eight marks, equalling 8/16 of an inch or 1/2 inch. Higher quality rulers are often made of non-elastic materials like steel or aluminum, and their markings start without any space. When reading a ruler for the first time, it can be helpful to count each mark, typically measuring 1/16 of an inch. This way the line thickness will not affect the measurement. Sometimes I'm confused. There will be one half-inch mark between each one-inch mark, but there are two half-inches per inch. Meanwhile, centimeters are part of the metric system, which is used around the world in both everyday life and science. Most measurements in science classare done using a smaller scale then a meter which is either centimeter (cm) or millimeter (mm). 2. Example: Say you're measuring the width of your smartphone, and it comes up to the fifth line after 4 cm on your ruler. The above ruler to scale is effectively a life size ruler and can both be used as an online 12 inch ruler (online ruler inches: shows how to read a ruler in inches) or when printed as a printable centimetre ruler. Some rulers will also denote 1/2 inches with numbers, so make sure you are using the largest numbers with the longest lines as your inch markers. This is standing between me and getting a job offer. I like learning, "Rulers have always strained my brain. Is that larger than 55 1/4? Each inch is broken down into 15 smaller marks, equaling 16 marks in total for each inch on the ruler. It is important to be as accurate as possible when reading your gauge. ", "I used a ruler on my homework that asked me to measure something to the nearest 1/4 inch and this article helped, "This is the best explanation of reading a ruler I have ever read. Inch reading a ruler worksheet answers. This would mean that the phone is 4.5 cm (45 mm) wide. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Standard rulers are 12 inches and are usually marked with a number at each of the inch intervals. Remember that there are 12 large numbers on an English ruler and 30 numbers on the metric ruler. If you’re American, this is the measurement you probably know better than centimeters, which are sometimes included on your standard 12-inch, or 1-foot, ruler (we’ll go over how to read a ruler in cm in the next section). If the pencil point ends at the shorter line halfway between the 4 and 5 inches marks, then your pencil is 4 and 1/2 inches long. For example, you measure a piece of fabric and the edge falls on the 6th line after the 4 inch mark, which is directly in between the 1/4 of an inch mark and the 1/2 inch mark. ", "The illustrations with pictures to help understand the written details. Without measuring devices like rulers (and people who can read them) we would still be living in caves. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. For example, you measure a flower stem and the end of the stem falls on the 11th line after the 5 inch mark. Each 1-inch line is labeled with a number indicating what inch it is on the ruler (as the image above shows). ", centimeter to inch converter, it has really helped. Approved. Like the inches ruler, you’ll see tons of lines on a metric ruler, with some longer and some shorter. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Practice problems include determining the measurement marked in a given example. 1 inch represents a whole, while 7/8 represents 7 parts of a whole (8 parts). An inch can be divided into 8, 16, or even 32 parts. These measuring worksheets provide practice work that will prepare first grade and second grade students for real world ruler activities. Now that we’ve looked at how to read a ruler in inches, let’s go over how to read a ruler in cm. There are two types of rulers you can use: the inch, or imperial, ruler and the centimeter, or metric, ruler. If a pen comes to the 14th line after 5 inches, how long is it? The strand comes to the ninth line after 16 cm on the ruler. Thanks. READING A RULER Ruler Scales: 1/4” INCHES APPE LEFT 8ths Scale: Each inch is divided into 8 parts and the smallest division is 1/8 of an inch. For example, you measure a button and the edge ends on the fifth line right between the 1 and 2 centimeter marks. 12 inches equals 1 foot (0.305 m). Mostly because they deal with fractions, which are a bit more dificult to learn. A ruler marked in 8ths. But did you know there's an even tinier unit called nanometers? To check your answer, click on the ruler (or lift your finger on a touchscreen device). Example: You take out a ruler to measure the width of your fingernail. All fractions must have a denominator of 16, 8, 4 or 2. 2: To start, let’s take a look at the imperial ruler. This helps me out a great deal. Each inch … We'll walk you through the basics of each type of ruler. Therefore, the first line past the big number (for instance 25) will represent 25.1cm or 251mm. The smallest unit a metric ruler can measure is 1 mm, or 0.1 cm. Right away, you should be able to tell that this ruler uses inches, as it’s divided into 12 equally spaced areas (labeled 1-12), and we know there are 12 inches in a foot (ignore the cm below). For example, if you measure a piece of paper and it ends on the 7th mark between the 24 and 25 centimeter mark, it means your object is 247mm, or 24.7cm, long. Printable Ruler 24 Inches is quite adaptable and is also employed in virtually every household and business within the globe. Each part consist of the 16 lines which are also parted equally. Just remember to practice using your ruler and you'll get better at it. So now there's no holding back! This would mean that the cloth is 10 1/4 (10.25) inches long. We all know where the 1, 2, 3 etc. A Comprehensive Guide. ", find this article helpful, I had to save it so I can return to it, as I will be studying it each day. In total, there are three different lengths of lines on a metric ruler. If you plan on measuring things that are small or you need to be extremely accurate, make sure the ruler you use has these marks. Make sure you read the ruler from left to right. ", the tic marks. ", idea, but right now I can even teach the measurements. 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