Feet for Fun
Measuring distances today is done using fixed units (cm, m, ft, inches), but this was not always the case! This activity explores how a person's foot can be used as a measuring tool, and the benefits of standardizing units.
What You Need
- Yarn
- 2 Large papers with pathways drawn on
- Some round objects to measure ex. a bucket, a globe, a ball
Guide:
Safety Notes
Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe virtual outreach to youth.
What To Do
Activity 1
Everyone is going to be using their feet to measure by taking steps such that their heels touch their toes, and the number of steps that it takes to get from one end to another is the measurement. Everyone will measure a few things or in pairs, and then write or tell someone to write what they got on a board.
Suggested things to measure: the length of a table, the height of another person lying down with either belly or back on the floor, the length of a given piece of yarn, and the length from one end of the room to the other.
Discussion: Were any of the numbers the same? Were any of the numbers different? Why? Were the numbers that were different at least close to each other? How can we get the same answer that each time we want reliability?
Activity 2
What if I wanted to measure the length around a person's belly and back without stepping on them? What objects or tools would you need to do this?
Have students to get a piece of yarn. They will wrap the yarn around their belly to see how long it is. Then they lay the yarn flat on the ground and measure the length from where the yarn touched to the end of the yarn by using their feet. They can then compare with whoever else they want.
Extra activity if time permits: Let students measure any other objects in the room that are not flat Ex. a globe, their friends, around a table.
Activity 3
Two drawn paths on a large piece of paper that are very curvy will be laid out. These are the paths that two bees flew around a field.
Which bee flew more? Discuss how they can measure this - several people will hold the yarn at different points to trace the path, and then someone will walk the length for both yarns as we need to use the same unit of measure when comparing.
Discovery
We can measure objects with non-standard units using different tools. Measuring with different tools however will get different answers as the sizes are not always the same.
When we want to measure something that isn't flat, we can use something that is more flexible. This is why measuring tapes are sometimes used instead of rulers to measure.
What's Happening?
We can measure objects with non-standard units using different tools. Measuring with different tools however will get different answers as the sizes are not always the same.
When we want to measure something that isn't flat, we can use something that is more flexible. This is why measuring tapes are sometimes used instead of rulers to measure.