How to Measure Height without Tape Measure
You are out somewhere in a hilly area and there are big and small mountains as far as you can see. All of a sudden you come across a mountain whose height impresses you and you want to know how high it actually is. Measuring the height of that landmark through a conventional measuring tape will have your grandson write the final reading – since it will take decades! However, you will be amazed to know that you can have that exponential height calculated with the help your… shadow! This method of calculating colossal heights involves the concept of proportion or simple mathematical skills. As a student of middle school, if you perform this experiment as an alternate to the science project coming your way, you are likely to get lot of appreciation. Just have the following items nearby and start on it.
Required Items:
– Measuring Tape
– Notepad
– Calculator
– Pencil or pen
Instructions
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1
Locating the Sun
First find the location of the sun. The ideal time for this experiment is before noon or later in the day when the sun is not directly on the head.
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2
Measure your shadow length
Once you are all set with the location of the sun, measure your shadow in inches from the toes to the top of the head with the help of measuring tape. -
3
Measure your height
Now measure your actual height in inches with the help of a measuring tape again and note it down in the note pad you have.
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4
Dividing height by length
After taking the two readings and noting them, divide the measured height by the length of your shadow and note the number you get. This number will be the proportion you will use for calculating the impossible height. -
5
Choose the object for height
Find an object whose height you would want to calculate. Make sure that the object is not so tall that you are not able to locate its shadow properly.
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6
Multiplying shadow length with obtained proportion
After measuring the length of the object’s shadow a measuring tape, multiply it with the proportion or number you calculated in the fourth step. -
7
The required height calculated
Upon multiplying, you will get the height of the object in inches. To find the height in feet, simply divide the number with 12.
