What is a ruler used for in science?

Answer 1

In a laboratory, a metal ruler is often used as a probe with which to fish lost credit

cards out from under low-slung furniture, and as a guide against which to manually

draw straight lines. But by far its most common use, particularly in the laboratory

environment, is to measure one or more linear dimensions of things.

Answer 2

Rulers are thin slats marked out in English or Metric units of measure. In the US they are typically one foot in length or 3 feet in length (yardstick). You can think of tape measures as a special kind of ruler. Tape measures come in a wide variety of lengths.

A ruler or any measurer is used to:

• make linear measurements like length, width, and height.
• calculate dimensions
• add or subtract fractions of an inch
• measure distance
• mark off a distance in increments
• draw straight lines (if using a flat stick)
• as string, to create a chalk line of a certain distance between two points

A measuring instrument is known by several names:

• a ruler
• a yardstick
• a tape measure (made of paper, plastic, or metal)

But anything can be used in place of a ruler, IF you set the "measurement" you use. Let's say you want to move your desk to the corner of a room, but you don't have an instrument with pre-marked lines. You could take a piece of paper and "measure" how many times the paper (with no markings) will fit the length of your desk, then use the paper the same number of times along the wall where the desk will sit. You'd repeat the same steps for width. This is imprecise measuring but it gives a rough idea. If you wanted to put numbers to the length and width, you'd have to know how long the single paper is, and multiply by the number of times you used the paper.

Other ways to imprecisely measure (with no numbers) and repeat until you have the approximate length or width is to use:

• paper
• cardboard
• string
• yarn
• your index finger
• your foot
• your hand

Seamstresses know, for example, that if you hold the corner of material in one hand, stretched out away from your side, and touch your nose with the other side of the material, then the material held between your fingers and nose equals about 3 feet (or one yard). People who use knitting yarn also use their arms to do rough measurements.

Contractors or other professions know the standard lengths of materials they use (example: the length of a shingle) and sometimes will use string to measure the length x width of a roof, approximately, to roughly figure how many packs of shingles they need to buy.

Butchers used to measure string to wrap meat packages by the length of their arm from shoulder to fingertip.

Try an experiment. Use a string to "measure" from your nose to fingertip stretched out to your side. Then, put the string against a ruler. How many rulers would the length of string "fit". On an adult, it should equal 3 rulers, or 36 inches (3 x 12"=36-inches) or 3-feet, or 1 yardstick (36" or 3 feet). Next, hold the string from your nose to fingertips with your hand stretched in front of your body-- is it the same "measurement"? longer? shorter? Try the same experiment with a little brother or sister (string not safe to mess with around very young children or babies!), or "measure" your mom or dad.

Increments on a ruler or measurer

Every ruler is marked in increments, usually with fractions of "inches" or "centimeters" (or both). Measure the length of your fingernail on your pinkie finger (it should be less than 1-inch on a child). Use the number you get and multiply that number by 2 (for 2 pinkie fingers). Look at your ruler to count it off in increments.

Or, measure the space between the "teeth" of a comb (which is very small). Count how many spaces are in your comb (a comb may be small, medium or large so yours may be different than someone else's). Let's say you have 5 spaces between "teeth" and one space is 1/8th inch wide. How many inches (or fraction of an inch) is 5 x 1/8th? Count it out on your ruler, starting at 1/8.

It can be fun to use one object like string to measure another object. Or to use a ruler and measure objects around the house.

Answer 3

To find the length width and height of an object. Multiply those 3 and you get the volume the object.

Answer 4

A ruler is used in SCIENCE to measure objects to see how big the object is or how small the object is.

Answer 5

A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in Measuring instruments similar in function to rulers are made portable by folding.

Answer 6

to measure length.

Answer 7

A ruler is used to measure length.

Answer 8

just a ruler