Scribd
Upload
200 views2 pages

Egyptian Measures: - A Cubit Is The Length From Your Elbow To The Tips of Your Fingers

The ancient Egyptians used body-based measurements like cubits, palms, and digits to measure length before standardized units. A cubit is from the elbow to fingertips. A palm is the width of the hand, and a digit is the width of a finger. The document explains these units and has students practice converting between them to understand how the Egyptians measured objects. For example, a robe that is 3 cubits long would be 21 palms or 84 digits in length.

Uploaded by

ManAsseh Eustace
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
200 views2 pages

Egyptian Measures: - A Cubit Is The Length From Your Elbow To The Tips of Your Fingers

The ancient Egyptians used body-based measurements like cubits, palms, and digits to measure length before standardized units. A cubit is from the elbow to fingertips. A palm is the width of the hand, and a digit is the width of a finger. The document explains these units and has students practice converting between them to understand how the Egyptians measured objects. For example, a robe that is 3 cubits long would be 21 palms or 84 digits in length.

Uploaded by

ManAsseh Eustace
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

F–1 Name Date

Egyptian Measures
Before there were standard units such as inches and feet, people used body measures.
The ancient Egyptians used cubits, palms, and digits to measure length.

• A cubit is the length from your elbow to the tips of your fingers.
• A palm is the width of your hand.
• A digit is the width of your finger.

1. What unit of measure do you think an Egyptian would use to measure each length?
a serving tray a small boat a bean
2. Measure 3 objects in your classroom in cubits, palms, and digits.
Use the table below to record the length of each object.

Object Length in Cubits Length in Palms Length in Digits

3. Explain how two people could measure the same object but find different lengths
using Egyptian measures.

4. Here is how cubits, palms, and digits are related.

1 cubit ⫽ 7 palms 1 palm ⫽ 4 digits

Imagine you have a robe that is 3 cubits long.

How long is the robe in palms?

How long is the robe in digits?


5. Explore It Look at the objects in your chart. Check each object’s length in cubits. On
a separate sheet of paper, find each object’s length in palms and digits using the
conversions in exercise 4. Compare these measurements to the measurements in your
table. Are they the same?
F–1 Name Date

Egyptian Measures
Before there were standard units such as inches and feet, people used body measures.
The ancient Egyptians used cubits, palms, and digits to measure length.

• A cubit is the length from your elbow to the tips of your fingers.
• A palm is the width of your hand.
• A digit is the width of your finger.

1. What unit of measure do you think an Egyptian would use to measure each length?
a serving tray palm a small boat cubit a bean digit
2. Measure 3 objects in your classroom in cubits, palms, and digits.
Use the table below to record the length of each object.

Object Length in Cubits Length in Palms Length in Digits

Check students’ tables.

3. Explain how two people could measure the same object but find different lengths
using Egyptian measures.

Sample answer: A cubit for a short person could be


different from a cubit for a tall person.
4. Here is how cubits, palms, and digits are related.

1 cubit ⫽ 7 palms 1 palm ⫽ 4 digits

Imagine you have a robe that is 3 cubits long.

How long is the robe in palms? 21 palms


How long is the robe in digits? 84 digits
5. Explore It Look at the objects in your chart. Check each object’s length in cubits. On
a separate sheet of paper, find each object’s length in palms and digits using the
conversions in exercise 4. Compare these measurements to the measurements in your
table. Are they the same? Answers will vary.

You might also like