Measuring Things
Long, short, heavy, light. Measuring helps us describe the world precisely.
1Length: Long and Short
Length tells us how long something is. We can measure length with rulers, tape measures, or even our hands and feet!
In school, we use centimeters (cm) and meters (m). A small pencil is about 10 cm. A door is about 2 meters tall. Your little finger is about 1 cm wide.
2Weight: Heavy and Light
Weight tells us how heavy something is. We measure weight in grams (g) and kilograms (kg). An apple weighs about 100 g. A bag of rice might weigh 1 kg.
You can feel weight in your hands. Pick up two objects — which feels heavier? That is comparing weight without any tools!
3Capacity: How Much Fits?
Capacity is how much a container can hold. We measure it in milliliters (ml) and liters (L). A glass of water is about 200 ml. A big bottle is 1 L.
Try this: pour water from a small cup into a big jar. Count how many cups it takes to fill the jar. You are measuring capacity!
★Explore
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Quick check
Which is the best unit to measure the length of a pencil?