Lesson 14 — Activity 1: Length


Getting Ready


Image 1

Have you ever watched a show from the US where they stated how long something was and you wondered how long that was in units that you are used to working with? In this activity, you will learn how to convert imperial measurements into metric measurements.


Think about This:


When you next watch TV, see if you notice anyone talking about something in imperial units. You may be surprised how often you hear something measured in feet, yards or miles!



There are three main conversions we will use when changing imperial units into metric units. They are:


  • feet to metres
  • yards to metres
  • miles to kilometres


To convert feet to metres, use the formula:

# of feet x 0.305 =


For example, if you wanted to know how many metres were in 20 feet, you would calculate it this way:

20 x 0.305 = 6.1 metres

To convert yards to metres, use the formula:

# of yards x 0.914 =


For example, if you wanted to know how many metres were in 50 yards, you would enter the information in the formula like this:

50 x 0.904 = 45.2 metres


Image 2
To convert miles to kilometres, use the formula:

# of miles x 1.61 =


For example, it is approximately 120 miles to Edmonton from Edson. To figure out how many kilometres it is, you would enter the information in the formula.

120 x 1.61 = 193.2 kilometres


Try This:


Lisa is going on a trip to Montreal, Quebec. She found out it was 2,197 miles from Calgary to Montreal. How many kilometres is that? Use a calculator to solve.

This map shows the route from Calgary to Montreal.



2,197 x 1.61 = 3,537.17 kilometres


 

Images courtesy of www.imagesgoogle.com

Go to the next page to try a Self-check Activity on converting imperial measurements to metric units.