At first an inch was the width of a mans thumb. The width of your palm is about 4 inches 10 centimeters.
A Brief History Of Measurement Ancient Measures 4 Early Man
Body parts used for measurement. Cubit from latin cubitum the elbow. From nose to finger tip. The cubit was just one of numerous units of measurement based on the typical size of body parts. It does not include derived units further unless they are also themselves human based. Quinaria the cross sectional area of a pipe created from a flat sheet of. Fenders grilles taillights headlights hoods trunks doors and glass too.
Before we had precise standardized units of measure such as meters and feet lengths and even ocasionally volumes were reckoned based on the average dimensions of human body parts. Long before the thumb would be used to measure almost everything. Your forearm is about 15 feet 46 centimeters. While convenient these ratios may not reflect the physiognomic variation of the individuals using them. The length of a foot the width of a finger and the distance of a step were all accepted measurements. This is a list of units of measure based on human body parts or the attributes or abilities of humans.
The exact length varied according to whose arm was being used and could be from 18 to 22 inches. Here are a few more. An average foot is about 12 inches long. A yard was originally the length of a mans belt or girdle as it was called. Used parts central has many salvage yards that specialize in used body parts for your late model foreign or domestic car or truck. Just fill out our online parts request form.
It probably goes without saying that the unit foot was based on the length of a mans foot. Hand hand fingers thumb. In ancient times the body ruled when it came to measuring. A cubit was a measurement based on the forearm from elbow to fingertip. The thumb measures 1 inch which is now the basis of measurement. A cubit for instance is supposed to be six palms.
A span is taken to be 9 inches and was previously considered as half a cubit. Example carpenters use their thumb to measure small insignificant measurements. In body based units of measurement at interesting thing of the day i listed a few such historical units of measure which can still come in handy for rough. In measurement body proportions are often used to relate two or more measurements based on the body. Used parts central has your source for used auto body parts. Using your body to estimate length your hand.
The same is true of digit in modern english. Measurement using body parts was often done in the past and was highly useful. Your forearm from elbow to fingertip. These units are thus considered to be human scale and anthropocentric area. The distance between your nose. Digit in latin digitus could mean either finger or toe.
Gallery of Body Parts Used For Measurement
