You've all heard of miles, kilometers and of course furlongs, but what about nails, chains and links? Nails, chains and links are types of measurements, too. Nail is a term used to measure cloth. A nail is a little over 2 inches long. A chain is 66 feet long and was used for surveying land. A link, about 8 inches, was also used in surveying. I was helping my favorite 7th grader with some math homework today and we had to use proportions to compare miles with nails, chains and links. My favorite 7th grader kept her eyes on the prize, but I was intrigued, and somewhat distracted, by the terms and their origins. As I scanned the internets, I'd share comments like, "Let me tell you why it's called a nail. Super interesting," or, "Did you know a link can also be called a Gunter's Link?" My favorite 7th grader has a truly unique blank stare that really gets you back on track after you've strayed from the task at hand.
We got the assignment done and we were able to play mancala and make some cool bookmarks.
And by the way did you know that "jiffy" was originally a measurement used to indicate the time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum? When you say, "Be back in a jiffy," you're basically saying you'll return in approximately 33 picoseconds. And think about this, my friends. A picosecond is one trillionth of a second.
Comments