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3 8 On The Ruler

feature_ruler_measuring_pencil

Rulers are an essential tool to have, merely if you're struggling with how to read a ruler, yous're not lone. There are and so many lines on a ruler, information technology can go confusing to figure out what they all mean.

In this guide, we'll explain why you should know how to read a ruler and give you step-past-footstep instructions on how to read a ruler in inches and cm. We'll also provide you lot with some helpful resources yous can use to keep honing your ruler-reading skills.

Why You Should Know How to Read a Ruler

Knowing how to read a ruler is important, not just for school but also for daily life.

For example, if yous wanted to brand something out of construction paper, yous'd probable need to use a ruler to measure out how much of the textile you would demand. Or what if yous wanted to frame a photo you lot have? In this case, y'all might have to measure the picture to see what kind of frame it would fit in.

The truth is that there are tons of moments in life when you'll need to know how to read a ruler. And if you don't know how to read a ruler, then you'll likely suffer some consequences. For example, what if yous make two pieces of something that don't fit together considering one is shorter or longer than it was supposed to be? Or what if you mess up a scientific discipline experiment because you lot didn't accurately read the measurement of a piece of string you cut?

It'due south pretty obvious that knowing how to read a ruler is important to not simply your grades in schoolhouse but besides your solar day-to-solar day life.

How to Read a Ruler: Imperial vs Metric

There are ii types of rulers yous tin apply: the inch, or royal, ruler and the centimeter, or metric, ruler.

Inches correspond to the imperial arrangement, which is the master measuring system used in the U.s.a. and a smattering of other countries.

Meanwhile, centimeters are part of the metric system, which is used around the world in both everyday life and science.

While we will be providing pictures you can use to follow our instructions, we recommend getting out your own ruler or measuring tape and then you tin can follow forth in real fourth dimension.

body_ruler_inches

How to Read a Ruler in Inches

Let'due south start by looking at how to read a ruler in inches. If yous're American, this is the measurement you lot probably know amend than centimeters, which are sometimes included on your standard 12-inch, or one-foot, ruler (we'll go over how to read a ruler in cm in the side by side department).

Here's a film of an inch ruler:

body_ruler_inches_sample

Correct away, you should be able to tell that this ruler uses inches, as information technology'south divided into 12 equally spaced areas (labeled one-12), and we know in that location are 12 inches in a foot (ignore the cm beneath).

Now, notice the lines between each inch, with some longer and some shorter than others. Each of these tiny lines represents a fraction of an inch. There are five different lengths of lines in total.

Each inch is divided into 16 lines, significant that the infinite between each line is 1/16 inch longthis is the smallest length yous can measure with a ruler. (Note that some rulers only get down to 1/eight inch lines, whereas others go downwardly to 1/32 inch lines.)

The inch is the biggest unit on a ruler and is represented by the longest line. Each 1-inch line is labeled with a number indicating what inch information technology is on the ruler (equally the image above shows).

Example: If yous were to measure the length of a sheet of computer paper, the piece of newspaper would come up to the 11-inch mark on your ruler, indicating that it's exactly 11 inches long.

The second-biggest unit on a ruler is the 1/ii inch, which is represented by the second-longest line. These typically aren't labeled but might be on some rulers (in which instance y'all'd come across numbers such every bit one 1/2 in, ii 1/2 in, etc.).

body_ruler_half_inches

The 1/2-inch line is located midway between every inch on a ruler. The midpoint between 7 and eight inches, for instance, would be 7 1/2 (or 7.5) inches.

Example: If y'all were to measure the width (instead of length) of a piece of computer paper, the piece should come exactly to the ane/2 inch line betwixt viii and 9 inches, indicating that the width is 8 1/2 (8.v) inches.

The third-biggest lines on a ruler are the 1/4 inch lines, which appear midway between the 1/2 inch and whole inch lines:

body_ruler_quarter_inches

If you counted in 1/4 inches on a ruler, you'd come across that the fourth line after 0 inches equals 1/iv inch, the eighth line equals 2/4 (i/ii) inch, and the 12th line equals 3/4 inch.

Example: Say y'all're measuring a piece of textile and the ruler ends at the fourth line after the 10-inch marker. This would mean that the cloth is 10 1/4 (x.25) inches long.

Next is i/8 inch, which is the second-smallest unit of a ruler. The i/8 lines are found midway betwixt each 1/4-inch line:

body_ruler_eighth_inches

If you counted in 1/viii-inch increments, you'd find that the 2d line after 0 equals i/eight inch, the fourth line 2/8 (one/four) inch, the 6th line 3/viii inch, the eighth line 4/8 (two/4 or 1/2) inch, the 10th line 5/8 inch, the 12th line 6/8 (3/4) inch, and the 14th line 7/8 inch.

Example: Say you determine to measure the length of a corn on the cob. You discover that your ruler comes to the 2nd line after the six-inch marker. This would mean that the corn is 6 1/8 inches long.

Finally, the smallest unit on a ruler is 1/xvi inch.These tiny lines that represent i/sixteen inch come between all one/viii-inch lines:

body_ruler_sixteenth_inches

If you counted each line within the starting time inch of a ruler, you'd get the post-obit measurements:
  • 1/16 inch
  • two/16 (1/eight) inch
  • 3/16 inch
  • four/16 (1/4) inch
  • v/16 inch
  • half-dozen/xvi (iii/8) inch
  • 7/xvi inch
  • 8/sixteen (1/two) inch
  • 9/xvi inch
  • x/16 (5/eight) inch
  • 11/16 inch
  • 12/xvi (3/4) inch
  • 13/xvi inch
  • 14/16 (7/eight) inch
  • 15/16 inch

Instance: You lot're trying to mensurate the length of your pointer finger. The ruler comes to the seventh line past 3 inches. This would mean that your finger is 3 seven/16 inches long.

Inch Ruler Practise Questions

body_ruler_inches_sample_question

  1. Look at the image in a higher place. What measurement, in inches, is information technology showing?
  2. If a pen comes to the 14th line after v inches, how long is information technology?

Answers

  1. eleven 3/four inches
  2. 5 seven/8 inches (also acceptable: 5 14/xvi inches)

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How to Read a Ruler in Centimeters

At present that we've looked at how to read a ruler in inches, let's become over how to read a ruler in cm.

This is especially important to know if you're studying science (call back that science generally uses the metric arrangementnot the purple system). Knowing how to read a ruler in cm is also helpful for people who'd prefer to not piece of work with fractions (which you must practice with inches) and who'd like to piece of work with other units instead (in this example, millimeters).

The standard metric ruler is thirty cm long. Each centimeter is labeled with a number to evidence the measurement information technology's referring to. Yous might run across inches on the other side of your metric ruler. In this example, refer to the instructions above to learn how to read a ruler in inches.

Also, be aware that xxx cm does not directly equal 12 inches, fifty-fifty though they are oftentimes put on the same ruler!

At present then, here's what a typical metric ruler looks similar:

body_ruler_centimeters_sample

Y'all tin can tell that this is a metric ruler considering it's divided into 30 equally spaced sections and has "cm" written on it(ignore the inches below).

Similar the inches ruler, you lot'll see tons of lines on a metric ruler, with some longer and some shorter. Each line represents ane millimeter, which is equal to i/10 or 0.1 cm (so x mm make upward ane cm).

In that location will always be 10 lines from one centimeter to the next centimeter. In full, there are three dissimilar lengths of lines on a metric ruler.

The longest line represents the biggest unit on the ruler: 1 cm. Each centimeter is labeled on the ruler (ane-30).

Example: You take out a ruler to measure the width of your fingernail. The ruler stops at one cm, meaning that your boom is precisely one cm wide.

The middle-length line on a metric ruler is the 1/2 (0.v) centimeter line, which comes midway between every centimeter (in other words, it's the fifth line later on every whole centimeter):

body_ruler_half_centimeter

So if you counted five lines from 9 cm, for instance, you'd get ix.5 cm (or 95 mm).

Example: Say y'all're measuring the width of your smartphone, and it comes up to the fifth line afterwards 4 cm on your ruler. This would mean that the phone is iv.5 cm (45 mm) wide.

The smallest unit a metric ruler tin can measure is 1 mm, or 0.1 cm. These are the smallest lines on the ruler, that is, the ones that come up between the whole centimeter and ane/2 centimeters:

body_ruler_millimeters

Within the commencement centimeter lone, every line from 0 would equal the following:
  • 1 mm (0.1 cm)
  • 2 mm (0.2 cm)
  • 3 mm (0.three cm)
  • iv mm (0.4 cm)
  • five mm (0.5 or 1/2 cm)
  • 6 mm (0.6 cm)
  • 7 mm (0.7 cm)
  • viii mm (0.8 cm)
  • 9 mm (0.ix cm)
  • x mm (1 cm)

Case: You're measuring the length of a strand of hair. The strand comes to the ninth line subsequently 16 cm on the ruler. This would mean the strand is xvi.9 cm long (that'southward 16 cm + ix mm).

Centimeter Ruler Practice Questions

body_ruler_centimeters_sample_question

  1. Look at the image above. What measurement, in centimeters, is it showing?
  2. Yous're measuring a pair of glasses, from the end of i lens to the far end of the other lens. Your ruler reaches the seventh line past 12 cm. How long is the pair of glasses?

Answers

  1. 24.1 cm
  2. 12.7 cm (or 127 mm)

6 Additional Resources for Learning to Read a Ruler

If you want whatever extra assistance with learning how to read a ruler in cm or inches, videos and worksheets can be fantabulous resources.

Here are 2 like shooting fish in a barrel-to-follow videos to further help you lot acquire how to read a ruler:

How to Read a Ruler in Inches

How to Read a Ruler in cm

If yous'd rather test out your ruler-reading cognition with exercise questions, then it's a bang-up thought to download costless measurement worksheets from these math sites:

  • K12 Math Worksheets
  • DadsWorksheets.com
  • Math-Aids.com
  • TechEd LLC

All of these resources, in add-on to the handful of practice questions nosotros gave you above, should be enough to get you lot reading a ruler in no time at all!

What's Side by side?

Got questions about decimals and fractions?Our expert guides will teach yous how to convert decimals to fractions and how to add and subtract fractions.

Metric rulers usually have only centimeters and millimeters on them. Only did yous know in that location's an even tinier unit called nanometers? Larn how to convert nanometers to meters and other measurements with our in-depth guide.

E'er seen Roman numerals but didn't know how to read them? Check out our detailed guide and you lot'll be on your way to understanding this ancient numerical system!

Take friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article!

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Almost the Author

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor'southward degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Nihon via the JET Program. She is passionate almost education, writing, and travel.

3 8 On The Ruler,

Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-read-a-ruler-inches-cm

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