Introduction to Height
Height is a way to measure someone or something from base to top or head to toe. In other words, height tells how tall someone or something is. Height is measured in distance units, i.e., meters, centimeters, millimeters, etc.
We can compare how tall we become as we grow up. We often compare the average height of men and women of different countries.
Look at the four walls of your room. The distance from the floor to the roof is the height of the wall. Recall how, in the school assembly, your class is arranged with the shortest child in the front and the tallest child at the end of the line. It is done so that everyone can see the stage. Therefore, tall and short are terms we use to indicate height in relative terms. Relative terms mean when we compare one with the other.
In math, height can be defined as vertical distance from the top to the base of the object.
Here, the height of the rectangular prism and triangle have been marked.
Fun Facts!
- Height is measured along the vertical axis on a graph.
- Height from the sea level is referred to as altitude.
Origin of the Term: Height
Height comes from the word ‘high’ derived from Old English héah and has origins in the Proto-Indo-European language family.
Application of Height in our life
- If you want to cover your notebook with paper, you need to know the height of your notebook so that you buy enough paper.
- It is also needed to see how much you have grown from childhood until now! Ask your parents what your height was two years ago, and compare it to how tall you have become!
- Not just this, if your parents want to buy new curtains, they need to know the height of the wall. So, height is used a lot in your everyday life!
Units of Height
Our world is made up of things as small as a ladybug in the garden and as big as whales that live under the sea! Measuring their height can be a task.
We have created different units to make the task easy:
- Small things like an eraser or your nail can be measured using units of millimeters or centimeters.
- Whereas human height can be measured in inches or meters.
- The heights of monuments or buildings are measured in meters or feet; for example, the Eiffel Tower has a height of 300 meters.
Fun Fact!
- The smallest human has a height of 54 cm.
- One of the largest monuments, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has a height of 828 m or 2717 ft.
Tips to Master the Concept of Height
If you want your kid to learn the concept of height, here are a few things that can help:
- Tell them about the similarities and differences between shapes and sizes.
- Use terms, such as shorter than or larger than, in daily life to make them understand the concept easily and quickly.
- Make it a fun task. Ask your kid to measure every stuffed toy and arrange them from the shortest to the tallest or vice versa.
Let’s do it!
Instead of handing out math worksheets to learn the concept of ‘Height’ to your children, opt for something fun and interesting ways to learn the concept. You should go for SplashLearn as they believe in bringing learning to your kid’s world! They explain every concept easily so that your child will enjoy studying, and the best part is that they can take classes in a comfortable setting of their choice.
Have some fun as a family and ask your child to make everyone stand in front of the wall. Now, ask your child to take chalk and mark the top of everyone’s head. The distance from the feet to the top of the heads will be called ‘Height.’ Remember to make sure that everyone is barefoot. Now you can compare the marks and see who is the tallest in the family!
Related Math Vocabulary
Solved Examples
- Which tree is the shortest?
Solution: Arranging the tree in increasing order of their height we get
Tree B < Tree A < Tree C. Therefore, Tree B is the shortest tree.
- Ashley bought a christmas tree that is 68 inches tall. The star at the top of the tree is 6 inches. What is the height of the christmas tree after adding star at the top?
Solution: Height of the christmas tree = 68 inches
Height of the star on top = 6 inches
Total height of the christmas tree = 68 inches + 6 inches = 74 inches
- Tom’s height is 1 m and 35 cm, his sister is 40 cm shorter than Tom. Find his sister’s height.
Solution: Tom’s height is 1 m and 35 cm = 135 cm.
His sister is 40 cm shorter than Tom.
So, his sister’s height is 135 cm – 40 cm = 95 cm.
Practice Problems
Height
1Arrange the following items in the order of their height, starting from the shortest item to the tallest item: Notebook, Human finger, Wall of your home, Height of your school.
Of the given options, the human finger is the smallest. It is smaller than a notebook. The wall of your home is shorter than the height of your school.
2Find the height of the lamp in the given figure.
The height of the lamp is 1.65 m = 1.65 $\times$ 100 = 165 cm.
3Naina, Samaira, and Vanya are sisters. Naina is 1 meter and 65 cm tall, Vanya is 1 meter tall, and Samaira is 1 meters 85 cm tall. Who is the tallest among the three sisters?
1m $\lt$ 1 m 65 cm $\lt$1 m 85 cm. So, Samaira is the tallest.
4Jerry’s height is 1 m and 25 cm, his sister is 50 cm taller than Jerry. Find his sister’s height.
Jerry’s height is 1 m and 25 cm or 125 cm. His sister is 50 cm taller than Jerry. So, his sister’s height is 125 cm + 50 cm 175 cm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which unit is used to measure the height of a tall building?
We use meters or feet as units while measuring tall buildings.
Which instrument can we use to measure our height?
We can use an inch tape to measure our height.
How is length different from height?
The major difference is that length tells you about how long the shape is whereas height determines how tall it is.