English Measurement

Ancient to English Measurement Each English King would use his own measurements based on how long his feet/arms were. Kings Edward I and Edward II of England came up with the first standardized units of length. Yard – length from King Henry I’s outstretched thumb to the tip of his nose. Foot – 1/3 of a yard Inch – Romans divided the foot into twelve parts (the length of three dried barleycorns laid side-by-side)

English Units 3 feet = 1 yard 12 inches = 1 foot 36 inches = 1 yard 1,760 yards = 1 mile 5,280 feet = 1 mile

Which is longer, the meter or the yard? A meter stick contains about 39.5 inches. A yard stick contains only 36 inches.

Hint: Be careful when using a meter stick to measure yards. If you say that something is 1 yard because it is as long as the meter stick, it is actually 1 yard plus about 3 inches, or 39 inches all together.

Reasons why it didn’t/won’t last: United States still uses the English system most of the time. Liberia and Myanmar also use it still. There are too many different units to remember when you need to change between the units.