This blog helps you to both improve your measuring skills and to increase your speed in measuring the object.
Introduction of Measurements
Measurement is the process of assigning a number to a feature such as height, weight, length, width, volume, etc. Typically, the assignment of numbers is according to a standard measurement such as feet, kilos, meters,s, and liters. It most commonly uses the metric system. For example, the height of a person is measured in feet and inches.
Measurement is a cornerstone of trade, science, technology, and quantitative research in many disciplines. In the natural sciences and engineering, measurements do not apply to nominal properties of objects or events, which is consistent with the guidelines of the International vocabulary of metrology published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Since the 18th century, developments progressed towards unifying, widely accepted standards that resulted in the modern International System of Units (SI). This system reduces all physical measurements to a mathematical combination of seven base units. The science of measurement is pursued in the field of metrology.
Modes of Measurements
Depending on what you are measuring, there will be a mode of measurement. Here are a few modes of measurement:
Length
Area
Volume
Length: In length, each dimension shall be measured to the nearest 0.01 m, where any dimension is more than 25 m it should be measured to the nearest 0.1 m. A rule is a tool used in, for example, geometry, technical drawing, engineering, and carpentry, to measure lengths or distances or to draw a straight line.
Engineer's scale: An engineer's scale is a tool for measuring distances and transferring measurements at a fixed ratio of length. It is used in making engineering drawings, commonly called blueprints, blue lines, or plans on a specific scale. For example, "one-tenth size" would appear on a drawing to indicate a part larger than the drawing on the paper itself. It is not to be used to measure machined parts to see if they meet specifications.
Area Measurement: The area of a shape can be measured by comparing the shape to squares of a fixed size. In the International System of Units (SI), the standard unit of area is the square meter (written as m2), which is the area of a square whose sides are one meter long. A shape with an area of three square meters would have the same area as three such squares. In mathematics, the unit square is defined to have area one, and the area of any other shape or surface is a dimensionless real number.
The formulathe of Area: Area = length × width and is given in square units.
Volume Measurement: Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object or substance. It is one of the derived quantities defined by the International System of Units. The unit of volume is the cubic meter (m3). This is what is called a coherent derived unit of quantity because it is expressed purely in terms of one of the base units defined by the International System of Units For measuring the capacity, which is the amount of space within a 3-dimensional object, volume is used as a mode of measurement.
An example of volume measurement is the capacity of water that can be occupied in a tank of a certain length, breadth, and height.
The formulae for a number of common 3-dimensional shapes are given in the table.
Shape | Formula
| Dimension(s) measured |
Cube | a3 | a = length of each edge |
Rectangular prism (cuboid) | l × w × h | l = length, w = width, h = height |
Prism | B × h | B = area of base, h = height |
Pyramid | B × h 3 | B = area of base, h = height |
Regular tetrahedron | √2 a3 12 | a = length of each edge |
Cylinder | π r 2 h | r = base radius, h = height |
Cone | π r 2 h 3 | r = base radius, h = height |
Sphere | 4 π r 3 3 | r = radius of sphere |
Ellipsoid | 4 πabc 3 | a, b and c = semi-axes of ellipsoid |
Different Modes of Measurements
Linear measurement: For measuring the distance between two points, the linear mode of measurement is used. Examples of linear measurements are the length, breadth, height, and thickness of a wall. Use the mason square or measuring tape to measure the distance between two points. The popular unit of measurement is in meters or feet.
Note that linear measurements help you to determine area and volume too.
Weight measurement – Use weighing machines to measure the quantity of any object. The unit of measurement is in kilograms or tons.
Angular measurement –Use the compass or the measuring tape to measure the size of the angle between two straight lines that meet at one point. For the compass, the unit of measurement is in degrees. For measuring tape, the unit of measurement is in feet and meters.
Slope Measurement – For measuring the steepness of a line or a surface, the slope mode of measurement is used. Examples of slopes are a staircase and a ramp.