Measurement
Benchmarks
The Metric
System
Metric
Linear
Measurement
(length)
Millimeter (mm)
Millimeter
= thickness of a dime
Centimeter (cm)
Centimeter
= width of a fingernail
One centimeter = 10 millimeters
Meter (m)
Meter
= width of a door
frame
One meter = 1,000 millimeters or 100 centimeters
Kilometer (km)
Kilometer
= driving down the highway
One kilometer = 1,000 meters
Metric
Capacity
Milliliter (mL)
Milliliter
= one drop from a medicine dropper
Liter (L)
Liter
= bottle of soda
One liter = 1,000 milliliters
Metric
Mass
Milligram (mg)
Milligram
= a speck of dust
Gram (g)
Gram
= the mass of a paper clip
One gram = 1,000 milligrams
Kilogram (kg)
Kilogram
= the mass of a baseball bat
One kilogram = 1,000 grams
The
Customary
System
Customary
Linear
Measurement
(length)
Inch (in.)
Inch
= the space between joints on your finger
Foot (ft)
Foot
= about the length of an adult foot
One foot = 12 inches
Yard (yd)
Yard
= width of a door
One yard = 3 feet or 36 inches
Mile (mi)
Mile
= driving down the highway
One mile = 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet
Customary
Capacity
Cup (c)
Cup
= a small cup
One cup = 8 fluid ounces
Pint (pt)
Pint
= a small container of ice cream
One pint = 2 cups
Quart (qt)
Quart
= a bottle of motor oil
One quart = 2 pints or 4 cups
Gallon (gal)
Gallon
= a large container of milk
One gallon = 4 quarts
Customary
Weight
Ounce (oz)
Ounce
= the weight of a slice of bread
Pound (lb)
Pound
= the weight of a loaf of bread
One pound = 16 ounces
Ton (T)
Ton
= the weight of a bread truck
One ton = 2000 pounds