Upper and Lower Measures

'How accurately can you measure?'

In this activity, from Christopher KACMAR. students get a 'hands-on' experience of the concept of upper and lower bounds using the cut-out rulers below (see 'Resources' section), with a limited scale (and, for many nations, an unfamiliar one) .

The measuring instrument's accuracy limits the students' accuracy.

Resources

How accurately can you measure?
Students should work in pairs to carry out the below measuring activities

Equipment needed:

Measure these objects and quantities

Rulers

1 inch scale [Warning: when viewed on some browsers the below 'rulers' don't look like a full ruler + scale - do not worry - when printed they print out as regular rulers with the correct scales (even if, in the 'print preview', the ruler rectangular outline doesn't show)]

0.1 inch scale

 

Syllabus links

SL1.6 Upper and lower limits/bounds of rounded numbers

Description

The absence of a detailed scale obliges the use of estimation and hence stimulates students to reflect, in more depth, on the fact that numbers are only as accurate as the tool used to measure them.
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