How wide is this desk?

Length and distance

  • Distance is the measure of how far or long something is. E.g.: the length of a table, or a soccer field or, how far is Mumbai from Delhi?
  • Length can be measured in terms of a unit. A unit is a comparison of an unknown quantity with that of a known quantity. It is required to establish a common standard or convention to make calculations and analysis easier worldwide.

Traditional ways of measuring lengths :

  • Traditional methods of measuring length were the use of the length of one’s foot or other body parts. But, was inconsistent since this varies from person to person and lacks uniformity.
  • Distance: How far an object travels constitutes distance!! The GPS system introduced these days accurately measures the distance from one place to another.
  • Arbitrary ways to measure the length or width:
    • Measuring using handspan and measurement by a string were used in ancient times but these methods are not so reliable and hence some standard units of measurement have been introduced.