How to Calculate Length
The three measurable components of any object are height, length and depth. Length is defined as the longest distance of an object, be it over land, space or the dimensions of a solid object. Over the years, numerous methods have quantified length. The Greeks used 16 fingers for a foot, as did the Romans. A yard was established in 12th century England. Today people measure length in one of two ways: English units or metric units. Giving the length in either of these measurements is acceptable in American schools. Determining the length is easy, if you have the right tools.
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Instructions
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Check your tape measure or ruler to see if the beginning starts 1/4 inch before zero or at zero itself. You will want to check to make sure you get an accurate measurement. When measuring, you will find that larger items such as furniture or rooms will be in feet and meters, and smaller items such as televisions, phones or paper items will be in centimeters or inches.
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Take your tape measure and hook the end over the longest section of your object, making sure it is even with the zero marking. Typically, the length is the horizontal surface of an object from left to right. This is especially true when measuring furniture.
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Note the measurement on your ruler when it's stretched out to the length of the object, be it in yards, feet, inches or a metric measurement. Convert the measurement into feet, inches or metric by simply notating the numbers on the ruler.
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Select the measurement that gives you the most accurate length for its scale, whether it be inches, meters, centimeters or millimeters.
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