Dozen facts for kids
A dozen is a special word that means you have exactly twelve (12) of something. It's like saying "a pair" for two, but for twelve! We use it for many things, like a dozen eggs or a dozen cookies.
The word "dozen" comes from an old Latin word, duodecim, which simply means 12. People might have started using groups of 12 because there are about 12 moon cycles (or months) in one sun cycle (a year). The ancient people of Mesopotamia were probably among the first to use this way of counting.
Why is Twelve So Useful?
The number 12 is very handy because it can be divided evenly by many other numbers. You can divide 12 by 2, 3, 4, and 6 without any leftovers! This makes it easy to share things equally among different groups. For example, if you have a dozen cookies, you can easily share them among 2, 3, 4, or 6 friends.
Other Ways to Count by Dozens
Sometimes, people use other terms that are related to the dozen:
- A gross is a bigger group. It means you have 12 dozens, which adds up to 144 items! Imagine having 144 pencils – that's a gross of pencils.
- A great gross is even bigger! It's 12 gross, or 1,728 items. That's a lot of anything!
- A baker's dozen is a fun one. It means thirteen (13) items instead of the usual twelve. Long ago, bakers might have given an extra item to make sure customers got their full amount, especially if some items were small or damaged. This way, they avoided any trouble for selling too little.
Images for kids
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A box of a dozen doughnuts.
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The "baker's dozen" may have started as a way for bakers to make sure customers got enough.
See also
In Spanish: Docena para niños
