Measuring length, mass and capacity

Hello, and welcome to Myriora Maths! How long is a pencil? How heavy is an apple? How much water fits in a bottle? We measure length, mass and capacity, and each one has its own units. Let's meet them.

Length is how long something is. A pencil is about fifteen centimetres. A door is about two metres tall. And a walk of about fifteen minutes is about one kilometre. A hundred centimetres make a metre, and a thousand metres make a kilometre.

Mass is how heavy something is. A paperclip is about one gram. A bag of sugar is one kilogram. A thousand grams make a kilogram.

Capacity is how much a container holds. A teaspoon holds about five millilitres. A big bottle of water holds one litre. A thousand millilitres make a litre.

Choose the unit that fits. The length of a car? Metres. The mass of a strawberry? Grams. The water in a bath? Litres.

Let's try one together. What unit would you use to measure the mass of a cat? Say it out loud!

A cat is a few kilograms. So kilograms!

Here's a question that catches lots of people. How long is this crayon? It starts at two centimetres on the ruler, and ends at seven. Some people say seven centimetres. But the crayon doesn't start at zero! Seven take away two is five centimetres.

Your turn! Which is the best guess for the mass of an apple? Pick the right card. You've got twenty seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! An apple is about a hundred and fifty grams. A hundred and fifty kilograms is heavier than two grown-ups!

Quick review. Length is in millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres. Mass is in grams and kilograms. Capacity is in millilitres and litres. Choose the unit that fits, and measure from zero. See you next time!