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Fingers for small things
Joyful Mathematics: Chapter 7
GoalChoose handspans or fingers to measure, and measure small things with fingers.
New words
finger width · how wide one finger issmall · not bigchoose · pick the best one
Explanation
For small things we use finger widths. Put your fingers side by side along the thing. Count the fingers. A toothbrush can be 8 fingers long. For small things, fingers work better than a handspan. For big things, a handspan works better than fingers.
Worked examples
An eraser is 2 fingers long.
A bed is long. We choose handspans for a bed.
A coin is small. We choose fingers for a coin.
Class activity
Finger line. Find four small things such as a button, a comb, an eraser and a toothbrush. Measure each one with your fingers and say the number. Which one is the longest? Which is the shortest?
Practice
1
Diya measures a crayon with her fingers. Count the fingers. How many fingers long is the crayon?
5 fingers.
2
What will you use to measure a door: a handspan or fingers?
A handspan.
3
What will you use to measure a seed: a handspan or fingers?
Fingers.
4
Which one will you measure with fingers?
The pencil.
5
A comb is 7 fingers long. Zoya says it is 7 handspans long. Is she right?
No. It is 7 fingers long.