1. Rulers or Tape Measures
Unit 28
Rulers or Tape Measures

2. Basic Principles of Reading Rulers or Tape Measures
A ruler is a measuring device.
Two types of rulers used in health occupations:
Tape measure, used to measure the height of infants.
Height beam on a scale, used to measure the height of children and adults.

3. Basic Principles of Reading Rulers or Tape Measures
Most tape measures are divided into inches and fractions of inches.
Note that fractions are reduced to lowest terms.
For example, 2/8 = 1/4.

4. Basic Principles of Reading Height Bars
The height bar on a scale is also marked in inches and fractions of inches.
On the bar shown here, each small line represents 1/4 of an inch.
Each large line is marked and represents an inch.
To accommodate varying heights, the top part of the bar separates from the bottom part at an area called a “break.”

5. Converting Inches to Feet and Inches
Because a person’s height is not stated as 62 1/2 in, the inches must be converted to feet and inches.
There are 12 inches (in) in 1 foot (ft), so the inches are divided by 12. The remainder is left in inches.

6. Rulers or Tape Measures
Example: Convert 74 ¾ inches to feet and inches.
Divide 74 ¾ by 12:
Remainder = inches:
Therefore: 74 ¾ in = 6 ft 2 ¾ in

7. Practical Problem
Convert 53 ½ inches to feet and inches.

8. Practical Problem
Divide the whole number by 12 for feet; the remainder is inches:
53 ½ inches = 4 feet 5 ½ inches