Cornejo, Angelica Mae P.

Date Performed: January 31, 2020

BSABE 2M Date Submitted: February 14, 2020

Laboratory Exercise 2

Practical Mensuration

I. Introduction

Measurement is a basic skill which forms an essential part of our day to day activities
irrespective of what we do. Every measurement requires a specific scale which is call unit. A unit is a
measure, a device or a scale in terms of which we make physical measurement. It should be relevant
to the quantity being measured, be convenient and also well-defined so that it is understood by
everybody in an ambiguous way. We have in numerable devices to make such measurement. The
need of measurement and measuring devices dates back to antiquity. When the humans became
civilized, started cultivating and living in communities they realized that one cannot do everything
and they need to be interdependent. This paved the way for trade and then a need of measure was
felt. Various ways of measurements were adopted. A system of measurement has evolved since
then.

Objects can be measured in various ways. Ancient people measured objects using different
body parts. This is called non-standard measurements. Each person’s body part differed from
another person’s body part (Yukti Agarwal, 2013). These led to conflicts and confusions because
these were arbitrary, non-uniform and les to results which were not reproducible. The results of the
measurement vary from person to person because size of the unit is different for different person.
This created problems in trade between different countries and in day to day transactions. In order
to overcome this limitations of body parts as units, and to bring uniformity in the measurement
system, the need for exact measurement was felt. For this, a standard of measurements had to be
developed which is acceptable to everybody. Currently we follow an international system of units,
called SI units. This system is based on seven base units which correspond to seven base physical
quantities namely length, mass, time, temperature, amount of substances, light intensity and
electric current.

There are two types of measurement: direct measurement and indirect measurement.
Direct measurement gives us a very clear and quantifiable value. But some quantities are not easily
measured. Estimated and precise measurements both have their place, they are connected. Precise
measurements require us to use tools specifically designed for measurement, such as ruler, scales,
measuring cups, and clocks. Manually measuring something always involve uncertainty because it is
based on judgment. The science of learning is demonstrating that the ability to make accurate
estimates is closely tied to the ability to understand and solve problems. Estimation is not an act of
wild speculation but a highly sophisticated and valuable skill. The process of estimation depends on
experience and on the ability to use mathematical concepts. It depends of the idea of approximation
and on the willingness to deal with uncertainty. Estimation may exploit perception. It must be
guided by mathematical concepts to achieve reasonable approximation.

Everyone, even people without formal mathematical training, possess a basic capacity to
estimate. Early in life, babies are already able to discriminate between different-sized sets of objects
at six months of age. But it’s also the case that there are pronounced individual differences in the
ability to estimate (Annie Murphy Paul, 2011).

Measurement gives us a way to communicate with one another and interact with our
surroundings. But it only works of those you are communicating with understand the system of
measurement you are using. It involves two parameter: the amount present and the unit within a
system of measurement. Without both the parameters the information is virtually worthless. To
produce accurate measurements and communicate the ideas to others, one must understand
several mathematical concepts, particularly the fundamental idea of a standard unit.

Objectives

The objective of this laboratory exercise is to acquaint the students with mensuration skills using
ruled tools, body measurements and estimation by having them

1. estimate the lengths and volumes of objects and spaces;

2. identify the parts quantity to construct a given tangible product output; and

3. identify their body measurements and proportions that can come in handy in mensuration.

II. Methodology

1. Estimation

a. What is the value of the room? Visually determine its volume. This value of volume is your eyeball
estimate. 170.625

b. Estimate the volume of the given draw objects.

Drawing object Volume, m3

1 12
2 20.5
3 14
4 11
5 36

c. Estimate the required wood raw materials to accomplish the given wooden project.

Material Quantity, m
1 1
Wooden plank (1 “ x “) 2
4 4
1 3
Wooden plank (1 “ x “) 3
4 4
2. Mensuration

a. Volume

i. Using your pace factor, determine the wall-to-wall distances of the room. (Your pace factor of PF is
the measure of length its takes for you to do one leg stride heel-to-heel or toe-to-toe in normal
walking conditions. If you have not determined your PF, do so by determining how many steps it
takes for you to cover a 100m-length distance, and divide this distance by the number of steps.
Replicate this three times and get the average for a more accurate PF value.)

Replicate No. of steps Pace factor

1 14 0.57
2 13 0.57
3 14 0.57
Average 13.67 0.57

ii. Using a steel tape measure, measure the wall-to-wall and floor-to-height distances of the room to
compute for its volume. Show your computations.

Floor-to-height
Wall-to-wall distance Wall-to-wall distance Volume
distance
(pace factor values) (steel tape value)
7.79m 6.65m 2.9m 150.23m3
(steel tape values)
8m 7m 2.9m 162.4m3

Computations:

Paced distance = No. of steps x PF

L = 13.67 steps x 0.57 m/step

L = 7.79 m

W = 11.67 steps x 0.57 m/step

W = 6.65 m

Pace factor values

V = (7.79 x 6.65 x 2.9) m

V = 150.23 m3

Step tape values

V = (8 x 7 x 2.9) m

V = 162.4 m3
b. Using a ruler, measure the dimensions of the given drawn objects and re-determine their
individual volumes.

Drawing object Volume, cm3

1 21.24
2 26.54
3 28.09
4 15.33
5 42.19

c. Using measuring tools, re-estimate the quantity of raw materials needed for the given wooden
project.

Material Quantity, m
1 1
Wooden plank (1 “ x “) 1.8
4 4
1 3
Wooden plank (1 “ x “) 2.9
4 4

3. Body measurements

a. Extend your right arm perpendicular to your torso and measure the distance from the tip of your
middle finger to your left nipple. Record this value. Take note of where one meter is from your
middle finger to your chest.

b. Open your hand and measure the distance between your extended thumb and small finger.

c. Measure the size of your foot, heel to toe.

d. Perform these body measurement activities thrice each to improve the accuracy of your
measurements. Get the average from the three measured values.

Body measurement R1 R2 R3 Average

Chest, extended arm 0.88 0.86 0.87 0.87
Hand, thumb to small finger 0.21 0.20 0.21 0.207
Foot, heel to toe 0.24 0.24 0.25 0.243
III. Results and Discussion

Measured lengths and volumes of the room

Eyeball estimate m3 Actual measurement m3

Length 7.5 8
Width 6.5 7
Height 3.5 2.9
Volume 170.625 162.4

Table 1. Measured lengths and volumes of the room

The value of the volume of the room according to my eyeball estimate is 170.625 m 3 while
the actual volume of the room is 162.4 m 3. There is difference of 8.225 m 3 in the measurement
values. Using a point of reference to estimate the room is essential. One must know how a certain
measurement is like. Getting the exact volume of a given room using only our senses will not give us
the accurate measurements. People have different perspectives and measuring tools are used for us
to get the exact value. We can’t just rely on our estimations if we want the exact value.

Isometric Images

Volume, cm3 (actual

Drawing object Volume, cm3 (estimation)
measurement)

1 12 21.24

2 20.5 26.54

3 14 28.09

4 11 15.33

5 36 42.19

Table 2. Volume of isometric figures

My estimations and the actual measurement of the objects have huge differences. It’s
always less than the actual measurement. Isometric figures are difficult to measure by estimation.
One must use his experience and ability to use mathematical concepts to make a good estimate. It
must be guided by mathematical concepts to achieve reasonable approximation.
 Quantity, m
Item part Quantity, m
(estimation)
1 1
Wooden plank (1 ̋x ̋) 1.830 2
4 4
1 3
Wooden plank (1 ̋ x ̋ ) 2.875 3
4 4
Raw materials

Table 3. Bill of materials for wood parts of wooden object

My estimation of the amount of wooden part to be used exceeds for about 0.2 m. My visual
estimate is almost the same as the exact measurement. This is because I’ve seen and handled the
actual wooden project to be made. Also the amount of wood parts of the model can be easily
estimated because it is of just minimal measurement.

Body Proportions
Estimation is almost entirely a mental activity. A ‘point of reference’ is useful as visual or
mental comparison to help in making estimates. For example, knowing and recognizing one’s own
height can help in estimating other heights or areas. Body measurement are proportional to a part
of our body. It is based on the ideal human proportions with geometry. Even without the use of
ruled tools we can still make approximate measurements close to the actual standard
measurement.

IV. Summary and Conclusion

Acquiring the skill of mensuration is essential in everyday living and clerical works. There are
various we can use to measure certain things. First is the use of ruled tools. With these tools we can
accurately measure the lengths and volumes of objects and spaces accordingly with the standard
measurements. Second is the use of body measurements and proportions. Non-standard
measurements are not advised in acquiring accurate measurement for each person’s body part
differed from another person’s body part. But this can be really convenient especially when ruled
tools are unavailable. Without ruled tools we can still approximately measure objects and spaces by
relying on our estimation skills. Estimated measurements differ from person to person. This is
guided by our experience and ability to use mathematical concepts to achieve a reasonable
approximation.

V. Reference
Why Guessing is undervalued, Annie Murphy Paul, 2011. Retrieved from
ideas.time.com/2011/11/23/why-guessing-is-undervalued/

Usage of Body Parts to Measure Objects, Yukti Agarwal, 2013. Retrieved from prezi.com/r-
6odwf4fy5k/usage-of-body-parts-to-measure-objects