I always was an overachiever. The handful measurement of objects using body parts. This is because different people might have body part of different sizes. Whereas other countries use derivatives of meters for distance liters volume and kilograms mass and they describe temperatures in degrees celsius also called centigrade the us as of. Example chefs use handfuls to measure grains rice. 10 responses to body parts as tools of measurement chris on january 21 2009 136 am.

For decades the united states has been one of the very few nations on the planet to not use the metric system as its primary measurement standard. The romans used this measurement and so can you. It turns out for example that my personal cubit is 18375 inches 4667cm. Another measurement that i use is an inch made by bending my ring finger into a tabletop shape. You have explored some ratios in your body and might wonder if these hold for other people as well. The quantity and the weight of the substance can be roughly identified.

This can lead to inconsistent measurement. The width of your own palm the length of your own foot and so on. Humans and other animals body parts vary widely in size and shape. The reason units of measurement like these fell out of favor is that they vary from one person to the next so if you need accuracy or repeatability theyre not the best choice. Use pieces of yarn to measure compare and detect these andor your other bodily ratios. Therefore body parts should not be used as a measuring instrument.

What an interesting post. A handful is a rough measurement of the quantity of dry substances that can fit into a cupped hand. Since there is no uniformity or accuracy in the reading body parts should not be used for the correct measurement of an object. Say we are using hands as a measure. Solution show solution body parts have different sizes from person to person and hence the value varies. Related to the last point the french word for inch is pouce which also.

Its all about precision if u want to measure things on mm or cm scale you cant use your body parts. Devin johnston on january 21 2009 259 am. Even there are certain complex shapes which cant be measure with body parts so better to use linear measuring devices 981 views view 2 upvoters. Report error is there an error in this question or solution. Body parts are not a reliable instruments for measurement. A more accurate way use your body parts to estimate length is to know your own measurements.

Then wherever you are youll have a pretty accurate ruler very close by. These estimates are just that. Thus if we were to use body parts as a standard of measurement the idea of standard measurement wouldnt exist.

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