14 Estimating length

14
Estimating length
This session is designed to help learners to:
understand the importance of using zero as a place-holder,
and to notice the effect of leaving it out;
use decimals to estimate the lengths of everyday objects;
encourage the correct verbalisation of decimals;
begin to explore the effects of multiplying and dividing
decimal numbers by powers of 10.
For each pair or small group of learners you will need a copy
of:
Card set A Objects;
Card set B Measurements.
For each learner you will need:
calculator.

Explain that the distance from your nose to your finger tip is
about 1 metre. Record this fact in the centre of the board.
Some learners may
benefit from other
physical
representations of a
metre, for example a
metre rule or a garden
cane cut to 1 metre.

About 1 metre

Check learners know that the

abbreviation for metre is m.

Ask learners to name objects or everyday distances that have

lengths that are approximately 10 m, 100 m, 1 000 m, 10 000 m
and then 0.1 m, 0.01 m, 0.001 m and 0.0001 m, using questions
such as the following:
Typical learner response
What is about ten times as
long as the distance from
nose to finger tip?

The distance across this

room.

What is ten times the

distance across the room?

A sprint.

What is ten times the length

of a sprint?

Just over half a mile.

A kilometre.

What is one tenth the

distance from nose to finger
tip?

The width of your hand.

What is one tenth the width

of your hand?

Width of little finger.

List the answers on the board. This produces a table like this:
Metres

Rough size

10 000 m
1000 m
100 m
10 m

about 6 miles
just over mile
sprint
distance across this room

1m
0.1 m
0.01 m
0.001 m
0.0001 m

distance from nose to finger tip

width of hand
width of little finger
diameter of this blob
hairs breadth

Explain that, as we move up and down the list, we are

multiplying and dividing lengths by 10. If you wish, you can
introduce the index notation at this point.
Discuss the relationships between the lengths of objects in the
list:
How long is this room in hand widths?
How far is 6 miles in hand widths?
Explain the relative significance of the decimal places:
Sarah is 1.6321 metres tall. Is this a reasonable statement?
Why?
Think of 1.6321 metres as One nose to finger tip + 6 hand
widths + 3 finger widths + 2 full stops + 1 hairs breadth.
How would this number change if she put high heels on?
if she flattened her hair slightly?
if she sat down?
The examples can now be used to estimate the lengths of
other real-life objects. Ask learners to name objects that are,
for example, 0.02 metres long (about two finger widths) or
0.005 metres long (about the length of five full-stops placed
side by side) and so on.

Each pair or small group of learners will need Card set A

Objects and Card set B Measurements. Ask learners to match
the objects to the corresponding measurements.

If learners get stuck, suggest that they first arrange the

objects in order of size.

Diameter of the eye of a red ant

0.0001

Thickness of thumb

0.02

Length of a stapler

0.1

Length of a telephone

0.2

Height of a desk

0.8

Height of a door

Length of a truck

10

Wingspan of an airliner

40

Height of a skyscraper

400

Height of a mountain

8000

Distance between two furthest places on earth 20 000 000

Distance from earth to moon

400 000 000 m

Learners may enjoy making posters showing the completed

arrangement of the matched cards.

Ask the group questions that emphasise the effect of

multiplying and dividing.
Think of two objects where:
one is ten times as long as the other.
one is one hundred times as long as the other.
one is one thousand times as long as the other.
How can you tell?
You may like to extend this work to explore the
transformation of units. Use the fact that 1 km is 1000 m.
How tall is the mountain in km?
How high is the skyscraper in km?

Card set A Objects

Wingspan of an
airliner

Length of a
stapler

Height of a door

Length of a truck

Height of a
mountain

Diameter of the
eye of a red ant

Height of a
skyscraper

Height of a desk

Thickness of
thumb

Distance from
earth to moon

Length of a
telephone

Distance between
two furthest
places on earth

Card set B Measurements

0.2 m

0.02 m

20 000 000 m

400 m

0.8 m

400 000 000 m

8 000 m 0.0001 m

10 m

2m

40 m

0.1 m