Imperial Measurements
Maths: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 2.1.2
Imperial and Metric Measurements
Whilst you will mostly use metric measurements (e.g. grams, metres, litres), there are other forms of measurement that are still used. The other forms of measurement are known as imperial measurements.
Imperial measurements
- Some examples of imperial measurements are:
- Inches - a measure of length/distance.
- Pounds - a measure of mass.
- Pints - a measure of capacity (volume).
- Miles - a measure of length/distance.
- Ounce - a measure of mass.
Measuring length/distance
- You can measure lengths/distances in both inches and cm.
- Inches are just another way to measure lengths/distances.
- It is possible to convert between inches and cm.
,w_800.png)
Converting inches and centimetres
- 1 inch is the same as 2.5 cm. This means that:
- 2 inches = 5 cm
- 7.5 cm = 3 inches
Converting inches to centimetres
- To convert from inches to cm, you can multiply by 2.5.
- E.g. 4 inches = 4 × 2.5 = 10 cm
- E.g. 6 inches = 6 × 2.5 = 15 cm
Converting centimetres to inches
- To convert from cm to inches, you can divide by 2.5.
- E.g. 5 cm = 5 ÷ 2.5 = 2 inches
- E.g. 20 cm = 20 ÷ 2.5 = 8 inches
Distance and Mass
You can convert between imperial and metric measurements if you know how to convert them.
Miles and kilometres
- Distances are shown in miles on road signs in the UK.
,w_800.png)
Miles to kilometres
- 5 miles is the same as 8 km.
- You can multiply these distances to work out how many kilometres are in 10 miles, 15 miles, 20 miles, etc.
,w_800.png)
Kilometres to miles
- 8 km is the same as 5 miles.
- You can multiply these distances to work out how many kilometres are in 16 km, 24 km, 32 km, 40 km, etc.
Pounds and grams
- A pound is not just a unit of money.
- A pound is also a name for a measurement of weight.
Pounds to grams
- There are 453 grams in 1 pound.
,w_800.png)
Pints and millilitres
- There are 568 ml in a pint.
Test yourself on Imperial Measurements
How do you convert a length from inches to centimetres?
How many kilometres are there in 5 miles?
How many miles are there in 8 kilometres?
What do you use 'pounds' to measure?