The purpose of "The World of Measurement" is to give students a basic understanding of the most important concepts related to measurement: length, mass, volume, time, and temperature. Each topic is explored first through an informational page, then through interactive exercises and questions. Additional activities for home or in the classroom, as well as internet links, are also provided to allow for further exploration of measurement.

The content of this site is directed toward meeting the Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics involving measurement, for grades 3 and 4. These standards are listed below.

3.14 The student will estimate and then use actual measuring devices with metric and U.S.  Customary units to measure

• a) length - inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters;
• b) liquid volume - cups, pints, quarts, gallons, and liters; and
• c) weight/mass - ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms.

3.15 The student will tell time to the nearest five-minute interval and to the nearest minute, using analog and digital clocks. 

3.16 The student will identify equivalent periods of time, including relationships among days, months, and years, as well as minutes and hours.

3.17 The student will read temperature to the nearest degree from a Celsius thermometer and a Fahrenheit thermometer. Real thermometers and physical models of thermometers will be used.

4.10 The student will

• a) estimate and measure weight/mass, using actual measuring devices, and describe the results in U.S. Customary/metric units as appropriate, including ounces, pounds, grams, and kilograms; 
• b) identify equivalent measurements between units within the U.S. Customary system (ounces and pounds) and between units within the metric system (grams and kilograms); and
• c) estimate the conversion of ounces and grams and pounds and kilograms, using approximate comparisons (1 ounce is about 28 grams, or 1 gram is about the weight of a paper clip; 1 kilogram is a little more than 2 pounds). *
  * The intent of this standard is for students to make ballpark comparisons and not to memorize conversion factors between U.S. Customary and metric units.

4.11 The student will

• a) estimate and measure length, using actual measuring devices, and describe the results in both metric and U.S. Customary units, including part of an inch (1/2, 1/4, and 1/8), inches, feet, yards, millimeters, centimeters, and meters; 
• b) identify equivalent measurement between units within the U.S. Customary system (inches and feet; feet and yards; inches and yards) and between units within the metric system (millimeters and centimeters; centimeters and meters; and millimeters and meters); and
• c) estimate the conversion of inches and centimeters, yards and meters, and miles and kilometers, using approximate comparisons (1 inch is about 2.5 centimeters, 1 meter is a little longer than 1 yard, 1 mile is slightly farther than 1.5 kilometers, or 1 kilometer is slightly farther than half a mile). *
  * The intent of this standard is for students to make ballpark comparisons and not to memorize conversion factors between U.S. Customary and metric units. 
  

4.12 The student will

• a) estimate and measure liquid volume, using actual measuring devices and using metric and U.S. Customary units, including cups, pints, quarts, gallons, milliliters, and liters; 
• b) identify equivalent measurement between units within the U.S. Customary system (cups, pints, quarts, and gallons) and between units within the metric system (milliliters and liters); and
• c) estimate the conversion of quarts and liters, using approximate comparisons (1 quart is a little less than 1 liter, 1 liter is a little more than 1 quart).
  * The intent of this standard is for students to make ballpark comparisons and not to memorize conversion factors between U. S. Customary and metric units. 

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