Learn1 of 3
How Tall Is Jack's Beanstalk?
Jack planted magic beans and they grew into a GIANT beanstalk! But how tall was it? We need to MEASURE!
Before rulers existed, people measured things using their bodies. A 'hand' was the width of your palm. A 'foot' was the length of your foot. A 'cubit' was from your elbow to your fingertips.
Let us measure like Jack! How many hands tall is your desk? Put your hand flat on the desk with your fingers together. Now put your other hand right above it. Keep going until you reach the top. Count the hands! Your desk might be about 10 hands tall.
This is called measuring with NON-STANDARD units. 'Non-standard' means they are not official — your hand is different from your friend's hand, so you might get different numbers!