Measurement- Math 1512

This week we continued with the geometry unit. One of the things that we talked about was measurement. We worked on finding the area and perimeter of shapes, conversion between two different units, and understanding measuring different things.

When I was in school learning about using rulers and different types of measurements I struggled quite a bit. When I was in 1st and 2nd grade we worked on using rulers and measuring different line segments. One of the things that was most confusing for me is the fractions involved with measuring. We hadn’t yet learned about fractions and when we took measurements dealing with ¼, ½, or ¾ inches, I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t understand that ¾ was larger than ¼. Once I reached 3rd grade we stopped learning about measuring and rulers and jumped to finding perimeter and area. I still hadn’t fully understood measuring and how to use a ruler. I felt so left behind and lost during this section of math class. Once third grade was over so was learning about measuring. I never worked with measuring again until the 6th grade. During wood shop class we spent the first two weeks learning about measuring the fractions that go along with taking measurements.

Now that I am older and more familiar with fractions and measuring, I understand how important it is to know about measurements and conversions. There are so many real life situations that could be given as examples for why they are important. One of the first things that comes to my mind is moving into a home. When someone moves into a home they often time update things like paint and flooring. In order to be able to purchase the correct amount of supplies the new home owner would have to know how to calculate the area of a room. When the same home owners move furniture into the house they are going to have to know how to measure. Another example that comes to my mind is driving a car. Having a good understanding of distances and measurements is important when driving a car. A driver needs to know how far away they are from another car so that they can keep a safe distance. Without a good understanding of measurements or distance a driver wouldn’t be able to do this.

I found an interesting website that students can use to practice finding area and perimeter. Click here to check it out.