It’s common knowledge that there are three primary types of measuring systems: the Imperial System, the Metric System, and the U.S. Customary System. But what many people don’t realize is how they work and which one to use in different situations. In this article, we’ll cover all you need to know about each system so that you can teach your children from an early age! In some cases, it will be necessary for conversion between units, such as converting miles into kilometers or pounds into kilograms, but with just a bit of practice, your kids will have no trouble going back and forth between them!
1. How to teach your kids about each system and how they work in different situations
If someone in your family needs a new pair of pants, but they don’t know which size they wear because they’re not sure what country they wear those pants in, don’t worry, it’s easy to solve this problem. A fun way to teach your children about this is to compare your height to theirs as they are growing up, as it will help them learn much easier. If you need to make a conversion from inches and feet (imperial system) to centimeters and meters (metric system), then multiply the number of inches by 2.54. For instance, if someone is wearing size 32 pants that are 30 inches long, you would multiply 30 (inches) by 2.54 cm (centimeters) to get 77.2 centimeters which is the size of the pants in the metric system. This same method works for changing measurements from yards and miles (U.S Customary System) to centimeters and meters (metric system). To do this, you would first convert the yards to feet. Then, if there are 3 feet to a yard, divide 3 by 12 (changing the units of feet into inches) and get 0.25 yards in inches per foot which is equal to 1 inch per one-third yard. So if someone is wearing size 16 pants that are 44 inches long, you would first change it to yards (44 inches = 1 yard). Then, you would divide 44 (yards) by 3 (number of feet in a yard) to get 13.33 yards in feet which is equal to 44 x 0.25 (1 inch per one-third yard) = 11.3 feet, and then that number gets multiplied by 12 (inches in a foot) to get 132 inches. To convert the inches to centimeters, you would divide 132 by 2.54 cm which equals 55.5 centimeters or 55 1/2 cm, that’s the size of the pants in the metric system! The U.S Customary System for measuring things is not used often anymore, but it’s important to know how to convert between the different systems of measurement just in case your family encounters that measuring system.
2. The Imperial System
The first and most commonly known system is the Imperial System, originally created by the British. The unit for weight is measured using avoirdupois weights while liquid measurements are based on a universal system for both dry and liquid measurements which uses the troy system of weights. It’s based on units such as inches, pounds, quarts, and so on. The Imperial System uses 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 16 ounces in a pound, and so on. It’s not linear like the other two systems and there are many more units for volume measurements.
3. The Metric System
The second is the Metric System, created by the French in 1791. The foundation for this system was “decimalized” based on units such as centimeters and grams. For measurements that would use ounces or pounds, they are divided into tenths so that measurements can be more precise. It’s also based on multiples of ten, which makes conversions between units much easier.
4. The U.S Customary System
Finally, the U.S. Customary System is based on units such as inches and quarts, similar to the Imperial system but with some differences that make it unique like using dry measurements for weight as opposed to avoirdupois weights like in the Imperial system. There are some similarities between the U.S. Customary System and the Imperial system, but there are also some significant differences that can be confusing.
Now you know about each one of these systems, so how do you teach your kids? Well, first you’ll need to decide which measuring system fits best in your home (most often, it’ll be one of the first two). Then, you can show your kids how to properly convert between them whenever they’re needed. One easy way to do this is by using soda cans or other containers that use both systems so they can see for themselves! As you can see, there are three different ways to measure things. If you are in the U.S, then use the U.S Customary System for most measurements when you are near water or when you need to know how many feet high something is or when you want to measure a big piece of land so that it will have accurate dimensions in case someone wants to buy it later on down the road. If your family needs help with converting measurements, then feel free to use this article as a reference!