Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Everyday Estimation
Mass | Length | Area | Volume | Temperature
Estimation is more than taking a guess! The ability to interpret measurement scales and approximate a quantity are essential Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) competencies. This important approximation tool helps interpret the world around us:
- Comparisons – relative size or quantity
- Magnitude of small and large numbers
- Ordering
- Spatial reasoning
- Sensemaking
- Checking for reasonableness
Estimation is used when it’s not important to find an exact measurement. Estimations are also valuable when developing a hypothesis and evaluating if experimental data results are reasonable. Refining estimation skills through practice improves proficiency (and accuracy)!
Educators are invited to attend the free Metric Estimation professional development webinar, which presents the Metric Estimation Game as a model learning activity designed to develop and reinforce estimation skills, select and use appropriate measurement tools, and determine measurement unit quantity, scale, and magnitude. Explore these tables to learn more about approximate measurements and develop reference points.
| 6 Rg | Earth |
| 1300 kg | Small Automobile |
| 70 kg | Large Dog (Great Dane) |
| 15 kg | Bicycle |
| 5 kg | Cat |
| 850 g | Baseball Bat |
| 270 g | NCAA Volleyball |
| 150 g | Cell Phone |
| 100 g | Medium Red Delicious Apple |
| 46 g | Golf Ball |
| 5 g | Nickel Coin ($0.05) |
| 2.5 g | Penny Coin ($0.01) |
| 1 g | Currency Note (regardless of denomination) |
| 600 mg | Cotton Ball |
| 150 Gm | Distance from Earth to Sun |
| 40 Mm | Circumference of Earth |
| 43 km | NIST (Gaithersburg, MD) to The Whitehouse |
| 11 km | Mariana Trench |
| 90 m | Football Field (Length) |
| 3.7 m | Interstate Highway Lane (Width) |
| 1 m | NCAA Volleyball Net (Width) |
| 153 mm | Currency ($5 Bill) |
| 66 cm | NCAA Volleyball (Circumference) |
| 19 cm | Pencil |
| 1 mm | Thickness of a Dime |
| 7 µm | Average Human Hair |
| 162 m² (9 m) x (18 m) | NCAA Volleyball Court |
| 616 cm² (22 cm) x (28 cm) | Office Paper |
| 550 mm2 (25 mm x 22 mm) | First Class U.S. Postage Stamp |
| 1 ML | Olympic Swimming Pool |
| 235 L | Bathtub |
| 5 L | Blood in Human Body |
| 4L | Full Human Stomach |
| 3.79 L | Gallon of Milk |
| 500 mL | Air per Breath at Rest (Tidal Volume) Adult Human Male |
| 400 mL | Air per Breath at Rest (Tidal Volume) Adult Human Female |
| 355 mL | Soda Pop Can |
| 200 mL | Juice Box |
| 80 mL | Empty Human Stomach |
| 15 mL | Eye Drop Bottle |
| 5500 °C | Surface of the Sun |
| 100 °C | Water Boils |
| 40 °C | Sweltering Day |
| 37 °C | Human Body |
| 30 °C | Hot Day |
| 20 °C | Comfortable Room |
| 10 °C | Cold Day |
| 0 °C | Water Freezes |
Contacts
-
Metric Program