Functional Skills: Length
Functional Skills: Length Revision
Length
Measuring length requires you to use units, this is key when measuring something. For instance, if you told someone the length of a block of wood was \textcolor{red}{14}, this wouldn’t mean anything. You would need to specify the unit, for example ‘the length of this block of wood is \textcolor{red}{14} cm’.
Units of Length
The length of something is how long it is, from one end to the other.
The common units for length are millimetres (mm), centimetres (cm), metres (m) and kilometres (km).
The conversions between these units are shown on the right:
Switching between these units is fairly straightforward and just requires you to multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000.
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Comparing Lengths
It is likely you will be required to compare lengths in real life context.
For example, you may be asked to compare the heights of several people or the widths/lengths of material or objects.
Example: A group of children are going to a theme park.
The minimum height for the ride called ‘Thrill Edge’ is 1.30 m.
Which children cannot ride on ‘Thrill Edge’?
We need to look for children who are less than 1.30 m.
- Luna is only \boldsymbol{1.25} m, so she is too small to go on the ride.
- Leo is only \boldsymbol{1.29} m, so he is also too small to go on the ride.
The rest of the children are 1.30 m or taller, so they can all ride.
Note:
Length is sometimes also measured in miles, yards (yd), feet (ft) or inches (in).
Examples of these units being used are:
- Feet and inches being used to measure someone’s height, e.g. someone’s height might be 5 feet 8 inches.
- Distances on road signs in the UK are measured in miles.
Example 1: Converting Units of Length
a) How many centimetres are there in 0.85 km?
[1 mark]
There are 100 centimetres in a metre and 1000 metres in a kilometre. Therefore to calculate the amount of centimetres in 0.85 kilometres, we need to do:
0.85\times100\times1000=85000 cm
b) Convert 41000 millimetres into metres.
[1 mark]
There are 10 millimetres in a centimetre and 100 centimetres in a metre. Therefore to convert 41000 millimetres into metres, we need to do:
41000\div10\div100=41 m
Example 2: Length Calculations
Aiden is building a small brick wall that he wants to be 1.2 metres high.
Each brick is \boldsymbol{6} cm in height, how many bricks high will the wall be?
[2 marks]
We first need to convert the height of the brick wall into centimetres:
1.2 m =120 cm
Then divide the height of the wall by 6:
120\div6=20
So the wall would be \boldsymbol{20} bricks high.
Example 3: Length Calculations
Questions will sometimes ask you to do calculations with length.
Harper is swimming in a pool that is 25 m in length.
She swims to one end of the pool and back again.
How far in total does she swim?
[1 mark]
One length of the pool is 25 m, so 2 lengths will be:
25\times2=\boldsymbol{50} m
Functional Skills: Length Example Questions
Question 1:Â Convert the following measurements:
a) 3.2 m into cm
b) 51 mm into m
c) 1091 cm into mm
[3 marks]Â
a) 3.2\times100=320 cm
b) 51\div10\div100=0.051 m
c) 1091\times10=10910 mm
Question 2: Convert the following measurements:
a) 43500 mm into m
b) 0.009 km into mm
c) 3126 cm into km
[3 marks]
a) 43500\div10\div100=43.5 m
b) 0.009\times10\times100\times1000=9000 mm
c) 3126\div100\div1000=0.03126 km
Question 3: Harold’s journey to school requires him to walk 350 m to the bus stop, then get on a bus and then walk another 900 m to his school once he gets off the bus.
The total distance he travels is 7.2 km.
Calculate how many kilometres Harold travels on the bus.
[2 marks]
Firstly, change 350 m and 900 m into km:
350 m =0.35 km
900 m =0.9 km
So, Harold travels 7.2-0.35-0.9=5.95 km on the bus.
Question 4:Â Mila is looking at buying a new rug for her living room. The maximum length the rug can be is 3.5 m.
Which rugs would fit in her living room?
[2 marks]
Only rugs 3.5 m or less will fit in her living room.
Rug B is 3.3 m in length so would fit.
Rug D is 3.1 m in length so would also fit.
So only rugs B and D will fit in her living room.
Question 5: Aria is completing a mini triathlon. She runs 5 km, swims 500 m and cycles 10 km. How far in total is the triathlon?
[2 marks]
Firstly, convert 500 m into km:
500 m =0.5 km
Then add up all the distance:
5+0.5+10=15.5 km
Functional Skills: Length Worksheet and Example Questions
Length EL3
Entry Level 3NewOfficial PFS
