What are imperial measurements?

Imperial measurements are a system of measure.

Today, in the UK, we more commonly use metric measures; however, we still use some imperial measures.

For example:

• Miles, feet and inches to measure length or distance.

• Pounds, ounces and stone to measure weight or mass.

• Pints and gallons to measure capacity.

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There are many different imperial measurements for length, some are used more regularly than others.

Just like in metric measures, the unit of measure you use depends on the size of the item.

Here are some imperial measures for length you may be familiar with:

You can measure the height of a person in centimetres and metres, but we usually measure our height in feet and inches.

The measure feet is used because in ancient times people used to use parts of their body to measure things!

You may also have seen the imperial unit miles on UK road signs and information signs.

The ‘M’ stands for miles not metres!

Metres are a much smaller unit of measure, so it is easier to measure long distance in miles.

Imperial measurements for mass

There are many different imperial measurements for mass, some are used more regularly than others.

The unit of measure you use depends on how heavy the item is.

Here are some imperial measures for mass you may be familiar with:

The mass of ingredients is often given in pounds and ounces in older cookery books.

You might measure your mass in metric units grams and kilograms, but mass is also measured in the imperial units stones and ounces.

Imperial measurements for capacity

There are different imperial measurements for capacity, some are used more regularly than others.

The unit of measure you use depends on the amount of liquid.

Here are some imperial measures for capacity that you may be familiar with:

Liquids can be measured in metric units such as millilitres and litres, but they can also be measured in the imperial units of pints or gallons.

Look at this bottle of milk. You can see both pints and millilitres on the label.

When you convert between miles and kilometres, you are thinking about how the same distance can be measured in different ways.

To convert miles and kilometres you need to use key facts:

1 mile ≈ 1.6km

5 miles ≈ 8km

What do you notice about the symbols? They look like an equals sign but the lines are not straight.

This symbol (≈) means approximately equal.

You use this symbol to show that the values are not exactly equal, but they are very close.

Let's look at a question that involves converting miles to kilometres.

If James goes for a 2 mile bike ride, how far will he cycle in kilometres?

You can use a bar model to help you.

If you had to convert a greater number of miles, for example 15 miles, then you could use the second key fact:

5 miles ≈ 8km

Example 2

Now let's look at converting between measures of capacity.

When you convert between pints and millilitres, you are thinking about how the same amount of liquid can be measured in different ways.

To convert pints and millilitres you need to use a key fact:

1 pint ≈ 568ml

Let's look at another question.

How many millilitres are there in 2 pints?

Example 3

When you convert between pounds and kilograms, you are thinking about how the same mass can be measured in different ways.

To convert pounds and kilograms you need to use this key fact.

2.2 pounds ≈ 1kg

Let's look at one more question.

What is 4.4 pounds into kilograms?