Slacker Method for Measuring Without a Ruler

Posted by Jacques - January 22, 2009

Finger Ruler Okay so we’ve all been there, needing to measure something without a handy dandy ruler in our pocket. Not to mention that for those of us who have problems estimating size, guessing is not an option. Yeah, you thought those Christmas lights would plug in, didn’t you?

The problem is that we don’t always have the tools for the job on hand. We can’t always carry them around because they may be bulky and we’ll never know when we actually need them. The trick is to work with what you have, and with a little bit of brain power, we can make it go a long way.

For the better part of your life the distances between your various joints will remain fairly constant. We can use this to our advantage, by measuring them. Also, by taking a wide range of measurements from the width of a finger to the height of your entire body, you will be able to make reasonably good estimates. Now, unlike a ruler, you won’t have exact measurements of every distance, so you’ll have to use some judgments. There are some important tips to remember about using your body as a ruler:

Use common measurements.
For example with 1 inch (knuckle to knuckle), I can measure things like 1″ ribbon and recipes that require 1″ of water above the rice.
Pair your measurements with math.
I had this cable pictured to the right that I wanted to measure without taking it out of the bag. I measured the diameter of the wires against my hand which I determined to be about 6 inches. Using our handy dandy formula for circumference (2πr) I multiply 6 x 3 (pi approximation) which is 18. I then take a look at how many times the wires looped around, which is 4, and multiply that against the circumference, which is gives me 72. 72/12 is about 6 feet or so of cable.
Maintain consistency.
Your body parts will change in length depending on where you measure them on how they’re positioned. Make sure you remember how your body parts were positioned when you took your measurements.
Use wrinkles, creases, and hard corners to increase accuracy.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out where things begin and where they end. Using lines instead can increase the efficacy of your measurements.

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[...] Slacker Method for Measuring Without a Ruler The Slacker Method Posted by root 2 hours 41 minutes ago (http://www.theslackermethod.com) Jan 22 2009 finger ruler okay so we 39 ve all been there needing to measure like 1 ribbon and recipes that require 1 of water above the rice use wrinkles creases and hard corners to increase accuracy leave a comment name required powered by wordpress with Discuss | Bury | News | Slacker Method for Measuring Without a Ruler The Slacker Method [...]

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