Height – Definition with Examples

Introduction to Height

Height is a way to measure someone or something from base to top or head to toe. In other words, height tells how tall someone or something is. We can compare how tall we become as we grow up. We often compare the average height of men and women in different countries.

In math, height is defined as the vertical distance from the top to the object’s base. Occasionally, it is labeled as ‘altitude’. 

The term height in geometry refers to the measurement of an object along the y-axis in coordinate geometry. Some examples of height in math are shown below.

The height of the rectangular prism and triangle is shown in the image above.

How to Measure Height?

We can measure the height of an object or person by using various measuring tools. Some tools to measure vertical length are: 

1. Ruler

Rulers have straight edges and are stiff. One side of the ruler has markings in inches, and the other side has markings in centimeters. Rulers are good to use for shorter lengths like the length of a pencil or notebook. 

2. Tape Measure

Tape measures are flexible straight edges with graduated markings. Since most tape measures only measure one unit system (U.S. customary or metric), you’ll need to find one that uses the unit system you need. 

3. Yardstick

Yardsticks and meter sticks are the similar in structure. Both have straight edges and are stiff. Meter sticks measure all lengths up to 1 meter, and yardsticks measure all measurements up to 3 feet.

Units of Height

Our world consists of tiny things like ladybugs in the garden to the mighty whales in the sea! Measuring their height with the same units can be a task. So, we use different units of size to make the job easy. Some of the measuring units are meters (m), feet (ft or ‘), inches (“), and so on. 

While describing the vertical length of various objects, it is best to use appropriate units of measure.

• Small things like an eraser or your nail can be measured using units of millimeters or centimeters. 
• An appropriate unit used to measure a person’s height is feet and inches or centimeters.
• Units like meters or feet are used to measure the height of a monument or building.

Definition of Same Height

Two or more objects are said to have the same height if each is as high as the other.  

For example, we generally live in a cuboidal room. If we look closely and compare the walls, we see that the height of each wall is the same. 

How to Know Whether Two Objects Are of the Same Height

We can use different measurement tools like scale or inch tape to measure the size and check whether two objects have the same height. Sometimes, we cannot directly check whether the objects are the same size because they are measured in different units. The following are the steps through which we can check whether two or more things have the same height or not – 

Step 1: Convert the units of measurement and make them of the same units.

Step 2: Compare the heights of the objects with the same units.

Unit Conversion

1 kilometer (km) $= 1000$ meters

1 meter (m) $= 100$ cm $= 1000$ mm

1 centimeter (cm) $= 10$ Millimeters (mm) $= 0.01$ meter

1 millimeter $= 0.001$ meter

1 yard $= 3$ feet $= 36$ inches

1 foot $= 12$ inches

For example:

Chi is 5 feet tall, and Hoppy’s height is 48 inches .

We know that 1 foot $= 12$ inches.

Therefore, 5 feet $= 5 \times 12$ inches $= 60$ inches.

60 inches $\gt$ 48 inches

Hence, Chi is taller than Hoppy. Thus, they don’t have the same height.

Origin of the Term: Height

Height comes from the word ‘high’ derived from Old English héah and originates in the Proto-Indo-European language family. 

 Fun Facts!

• Height is measured along the vertical axis on a graph.
• Height from the sea level is referred to as altitude.  

Tips for mastering the concept of height

If you want your kid to learn the concept of height, here are a few things that can help:

• Tell them about the similarities and differences between shapes and sizes.
• Use terms, such as shorter than or taller than, daily to make them understand the concept easily and quickly.
• Make it a fun task. Ask your kid to measure every stuffed toy and arrange them from the shortest to the tallest or vice versa.

Let’s do it!

Instead of handing out math worksheets to teach your children the concept of ‘Height’, opt for fun and exciting ways to understand the concept. You should go for SplashLearn as they believe in bringing learning to your kid’s world! They explain every concept easily, so your child will enjoy studying, and the best part is that they can take classes in a comfortable setting.

Have some fun and ask your child to stand in front of the wall. Now, ask your child to mark the top of everyone’s head. The distance from the feet to the top of the heads will be called ‘Height.

Related Math Vocabulary

Length, Width

Solved Examples

1. Which tree is the shortest?

Solution: Arranging the tree in increasing order, from shortest to tallest, we get 

Tree B $\lt$ Tree A $\lt$ Tree C. Therefore, Tree B is the shortest tree.

2. The height of a black chair is 26’’, whereas the height of a blue chair is 66.04 cm. Which chair is shorter?

Solution: Height of black chair $= 26$’’

1 inch $= 2.54$ cm

26 inches $= 26 2.54$ cm $= 66.04$ cm (blue chair)

So, they have the same height.

3. Tom’s height is 1 m and 35 cm, his sister is 40 cm shorter than Tom. Find his sister’s height.

Solution: Tom is 1 m and 35 cm $= 135$ cm.

His sister is 40 cm shorter than Tom. 

So, his sister’s height is 135 cm $- 40$ cm $= 95$ cm.

Practice Problems

Frequently Asked Questions