Monograph No. 3: June 1975
METRIFICATION – ACTIVITIES, RELATIONSHIPS, and HUMOR
Publication of the Mathematics Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association
33 – 40
The Bulletin Board, an Aid to Thinking Metric
Irvin K. Burbank
Measurement is a process of comparing two objects with a common attribute. For example, a pencil and the edge of a desk have “length” as a common attribute. Hence, by using the pencil to measure the desk we compare the length of the pencil with the length of the desk. Similarly, in measuring area we compare the attribute of the surface of one object with the surface of another. As students experience activities in comparing objects, they should be encouraged to develop units of measurement from a choice of objects. This will introduce arbitrary units, which leads to the need for standardized units.