📏 Measurement
Distances, times, weights, and unit conversions
📏 Measurement in Kangaroo Maths
These problems test whether you understand distances, times, weights, and how they relate. The trick is usually setting up the right equation from the word problem.
🏃 Distance problems
Example: 60m hurdles race, 5 hurdles. First at 12m, gaps of 8m between hurdles.
- Hurdle 1: 12m
- Hurdle 2: 12 + 8 = 20m
- Hurdle 3: 20 + 8 = 28m
- Hurdle 4: 28 + 8 = 36m
- Hurdle 5: 36 + 8 = 44m
- Distance from last hurdle to finish: 60 − 44 = 16m
Draw it out! A simple number line sketch makes distance problems much easier to see.
⏰ Time conversions
12 hours = 12 × 60 = 720 minutes. How many 12-minute segments? 720 ÷ 12 = 60.
The trap: students sometimes think "12 hours ÷ 12 minutes = 1" because 12÷12=1. But hours and minutes are different units! Always convert to the same unit first.
🛒 Nesting/overlapping lengths
4 nested trolleys = 108cm. 10 nested trolleys = 168cm.
- Adding 6 trolleys adds 168 − 108 = 60cm
- Each extra trolley adds 60 ÷ 6 = 10cm (the handle sticking out)
- 4 trolleys = 1 full trolley + 3 extra handles = L + 3×10 = 108
- L = 108 − 30 = 78cm
🧠 Practice Quiz
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