There are some situations in life where you might find that you need to know or understand a measurement without actually getting out a ruler or measuring tape.
This has become a much more frequent occurrence with the advent of online shopping on mobile devices because we can buy products wherever we are at any time of day or night, and it may not always be convenient or necessary to get out a measuring device.
A common occasion when you will need to understand a measurement is when ordering a product online which isn’t a standard size.
For example, you might be looking at a necklace that is described as eight inches in length, but if you don’t know what eight inches roughly looks like, then you might buy something that is inappropriate for you.
Similarly, you could be looking at a vase to buy on a website, and the images make it look really big, but the dimensions explain it is eight inches tall. If you can quickly make a comparison in your mind with a common item that is eight inches in length, then you are much less likely to make the mistake of ordering an item based on the wrong perceived size.
Here we will look at common items that measure eight inches to help you get an idea of roughly how big eight inches is or to even use these items as measurement instruments in a pinch.
iPad Mini
The iPad Mini is smaller than the standard iPad, and since its initial release in 2012, it has become one of the most popular tablets across the globe. To date, it has been released with five new models, but the thing to notice about the iPad Mini is that the length is always the same, even on new updates.
The length of the iPad Mini is exactly eight inches, so if you have one of these tablets, then you can use it to make measurements of eight inches.
A Mouse Mat
Although mouse mats can come in various sizes, the most common size of length for a mouse mat is eight inches. This means if you want to figure out roughly how big eight inches is, then look no further than your computer’s mouse mat.
4x Golf Tees
If you’re trying to measure out eight inches without a measuring tape, then consider using golf tees as a standard size of measurement. A single golf tee measures two inches in height, so you will need four lined up in a row to make the equivalent of eight inches.
Using this tactic, you could also measure anything in increments of two inches. For example, two golf tees will make four inches, five golf tees will make ten inches, or for much larger lengths, you will need a lot of tees. For example, 30 tees lined up end to end will give you a measurement of 60 inches.
Notebook Paper
Standard US notebook paper measures eight and a half inches wide, so you can use this to reference roughly eight inches. Legal paper is also the same size; just be sure not to get confused between length and width, as both legal paper and standard notebook paper are much longer than eight inches.
If you do decide to use notebook paper to measure, ensure to use an actual sheet of paper rather than the whole notebook itself because notebook covers are often a little bigger than the notebook paper itself.
8x Paperclips
Regular office paper clips are one inch long. Therefore, to measure out eight inches, you could line up eight paper clips tail to tail.
Knowing this simple fact makes paper clips really useful for more than just joining pieces of paper together, and you can now measure any small item using paper clips as a unit of measurement. Simply count up how many paper clips you have used, and this is how many inches long your item is.
8x Quarters
Another common item that measures one inch is a US quarter. This unit of currency has a diameter of one inch, meaning it is one inch when measured across the flat part of the coin, cutting exactly across the middle in any direction.
To use a quarter to measure other items, you will need to lay out your quarters flat in a straight line. Eight quarters lined up will be the equivalent of eight inches.
Bananas
Bananas, and in fact any other type of fruit, are certainly not a standard measurement because they are a natural item that grows in nature.
However, the average size of a banana that you would find in the grocery store is eight inches long, tip to tip, so the next time you are trying to visualize how long eight inches is, you can just think of a banana.
Bananas are not great to use for actually trying to measure other items because their shape makes them awkward, and they are not a standard size like other common items such as paper clips and notebook paper.
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