To measure a distance would be to determine how close or far a location is, such as, the distance of school from home. To measure a size would be to determine how small or big something is, such as, the size of a house. To measure capacity would be to determine how much something can hold, such as, the capacity of a pool. In short, to measure is to determine the extent, size, capacity, etc. of something.
To measure anything we need a unit. For example, to measure the length of a table, we may use span as a unit. To measure the size of the floor we may use square tile as a unit. To measure the capacity of a tub, we may use bucket as a unit. In short, the unit used in measurement is a small but definite amount of what is being measured.
Suppose we want to know how long a football field is. We may walk the length of the field and count how many steps it took. This will give us the number of steps that fit in that length. We can then say that the measure of the field is so many steps. Here a small length called ‘a step’ is the unit used to measure the length of the field.
If we want to compare two lengths then we must measure them using the same unit, and the unit must be of the same size each time it is applied. To be able to compare measurements around the world, we must use the same unit the same way anywhere in the world. Thus, we have standard units of meter for length, kilogram for weight, hour for time, etc. Here are some exercises in measurement for the kindergarten level.
LEVEL K4: COUNTING & MEASUREMENT
The measurements make the numbers meaningful. It is important to get the sense of numbers in terms of units by measuring as many things as you can, using as many different types of units as you can.
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