Needed a fast refresher class. 3: The imperial ruler is used for taking measurements most often in the United States. These typically aren't labeled but might be on some rulers (in which case you'd see numbers such as 1 1/2 in, 2 1/2 in, etc.). Reading a metric ruler worksheet answers. ", "Everything helped! I didn't even know that metric means reading from left to right. Here are two easy-to-follow videos to further help you learn how to read a ruler: If you’d rather test out your ruler-reading knowledge with practice questions, then it’s a great idea to download free measurement worksheets from these math sites: All of these resources, in addition to the handful of practice questions we gave you above, should be enough to get you reading a ruler in no time at all! Wow! The above ruler to scale is effectively a life size ruler and can both be used as an online 12 inch ruler (online ruler inches: shows how to read a ruler in inches) or when printed as a printable centimetre ruler. So many measurements, yikes! Locate the corresponding scale on the architectural ruler, i.e. Therefore, 55.5 is equal to 55 1/2 which is 1/4" larger than 55 1/4. Why are there five holes in my 12" ruler? The smallest unit a metric ruler can measure is 1 mm, or 0.1 cm. Learning to read a ruler takes practice, especially converting the numbers in the measurements. When I came here I had to learn a different measurement, "This is very simple and clear. If the pencil point ends at the shorter line halfway between the 4 and 5 inches marks, then your pencil is 4 and 1/2 inches long. Now then, here's what a typical metric ruler looks like: You can tell that this is a metric ruler because it’s divided into 30 equally spaced sections and has "cm" written on it (ignore the inches below). All fractions must have a denominator of 16, 8, 4 or 2. Right away, you should be able to tell that this ruler uses inches, as it’s divided into 12 equally spaced areas (labeled 1-12), and we know there are 12 inches in a foot (ignore the cm below). What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? The inch is the biggest unit on a ruler and is represented by the longest line. There will always be 10 lines from one centimeter to the next centimeter. Let’s start by looking at how to read a ruler in inches. Move your mouse (or slide your finger on a touchscreen device) over the ruler image until the green bar reaches the mark for the displayed measurement. In the following lesson, you will learn how to read both an imperial and metric ruler. So with this alongside a, "Very helpful and informative. The space between the lines is 1/16 inch which is smallest measurable part. Our expert guides will teach you how to convert decimals to fractions and how to add and subtract fractions. 64 13/64 15/64 - .75 19/64 21/ 64 23/64 25/ 64 13/32 27/64 29/64 15/32 31/ … The ruler stops at 1 cm, meaning that your nail is precisely 1 cm wide. Your ruler reaches the seventh line past 12 cm. As a woman with learning disabilities growing up, "I have never really known what all of the marks meant just the basic 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", etc. The numbers to the right of the decimal represent tenths, hundredths and thousandths, respectively. If you’re American, this is the measurement you probably know better than centimeters, which are sometimes included on your standard 12-inch, or 1-foot, ruler (we’ll go over how to read a ruler in cm in the next section). A standard ruler is 12 inches or 1 foot long. Some rulers will also denote 1/2 inches with numbers, so make sure you are using the largest numbers with the longest lines as your inch markers. This article has been viewed 2,215,882 times. How to Read a Ruler (and Other Simple Tricks). ", have had such conundrums with measurements. Most measurements in science classare done using a smaller scale then a meter which is either centimeter (cm) or millimeter (mm). This has broken it down for me. Therefore, the first line past the big number (for instance 25) will represent 25.1cm or 251mm. 12 inches equals 1 foot (0.305 m). Each inch is divided into 16 lines, meaning that the space between each line is 1/16 inch long—this is the smallest length you can measure with a ruler. SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. The third-biggest lines on a ruler are the 1/4 inch lines, which appear midway between the 1/2 inch and whole inch lines: If you counted in 1/4 inches on a ruler, you'd see that the fourth line after 0 inches equals 1/4 inch, the eighth line equals 2/4 (1/2) inch, and the 12th line equals 3/4 inch. There are two types of rulers you can use: the inch, or imperial, ruler and the centimeter, or metric, ruler. While we will be providing pictures you can use to follow our instructions, we recommend getting out your own ruler or measuring tape so you can follow along in real time. I like learning, "Rulers have always strained my brain. It almost always has the second-longest marking (after the one-inch marks). These measuring worksheets provide practice work that will prepare first grade and second grade students for real world ruler activities. Step 4: Cut & Double- Eighths. I didn't, "How it was explained, the article mentioned it step by step, and explained everything from mm, cm, in. For example, you measure a flower stem and the end of the stem falls on the 11th line after the 5 inch mark. In 1/8 inches ruler one inches divided by 8 verticl lines In 1/16 inches ruler one inches divided by 16 verticle lines. Look at the image above. To read a metric ruler to measure centimeters, look at the long lines on the ruler that are numbered 1-30, which are the centimeter marks. The truth is that there are tons of moments in life when you’ll need to know how to read a ruler. Reading a ruler is a crucial skill and a great way to apply math skills to real world objects. The strand comes to the ninth line after 16 cm on the ruler. We'll walk you through the basics of each type of ruler. But did you know there's an even tinier unit called nanometers? Each inch … The distance between them is equal to 1 centimeter. The flower stem is 5 and 11/16 inches long. Step 2: Cut & Double- Halves. Got questions about decimals and fractions? When marking down a distance from a ruler, mark the whole inch, followed by a space, then the fraction of an inch. Unlike with the English ruler, the measurements for the metric ruler are written in decimals instead of fractions. How to Read a Ruler in Inches and Centimeters, Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Score. Get an inch ruler. If you are measuring something, align it with the left side of the zero mark on the ruler. By using our site, you agree to our. An inch can be divided into 8, 16, or even 32 parts. Printable Ruler 24 Inches is actually a portable device… While doing this you need to understand the ruler, as everything needs, "It helped me understand something that had baffled me my entire life, I am self taught mostly. Step 1: Start Your Inches! Between the numbers are several vertical lines marking fractions of each inch. In this case, refer to the instructions above to learn how to read a ruler in inches. Reading a ruler is a valuable skill that you will likely use on your job, in your hobbies, and in your personal every day life. Where can I find the centimeter markers on a ruler? Get an inch ruler. I am feeling stumped by this. Though the machinist ruler may appear to be very much like other rulers, the number of increments between inches or centimeters allow it to be read with a much higher degree of accuracy than standard rulers which don't feature as many increments. The 12 marks are divisions of 1 foot into 12 inches. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. ", "The illustrations with pictures to help understand the written details. Not every ruler will have the 1/16 inch mark. In this case, you might have to measure the picture to see what kind of frame it would fit in. Take a look at the following English Rulers: A ruler marked in 4ths. Thank you! ", "I have had to see this a couple times to really get it, but now it's stuck! Now that we’ve looked at how to read a ruler in inches, let’s go over how to read a ruler in cm. Or what if you mess up a science experiment because you didn’t accurately read the measurement of a piece of string you cut? What ACT target score should you be aiming for? Example: If you were to measure the length of a sheet of computer paper, the piece of paper would come up to the 11-inch mark on your ruler, indicating that it's exactly 11 inches long. READING A RULER Ruler Scales: 1/4” INCHES APPE LEFT 8ths Scale: Each inch is divided into 8 parts and the smallest division is 1/8 of an inch. Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. Mark where the tip of the pencil lead ends on the ruler. ", find this article helpful, I had to save it so I can return to it, as I will be studying it each day. The left side of the line where the object ends will be its measurement in inches. 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