Length facts for kids

Length is a way to measure how long something is. It tells us the distance from one end of an object to the other. For example, you might measure the length of your pencil with a ruler, or the length of a room with a tape measure. When something is short, it has a small length. When something is long, it has a lot of length. Short and long are opposites. For flat, two-dimensional shapes, length is usually the longest side.

Measuring Length

• A line only has one measurement: its length.
• The length around a circle is called its circumference.
• A rectangle has two main measurements that show its size: its length and its width.
• For a square, its length and width are exactly the same.
• A box is a three-dimensional object. It has three measurements: length, width, and depth.
• When we talk about how tall a person or a tree is when standing up, we usually call it height, not length. But if a tree falls down, then we would measure its length along the ground.

Examples of Length

• Imagine a bus that is 30 meters from its front to its back. We would say the bus is 30 meters in length.
• If you have a piece of wood that is 10 meters long, 10 centimeters wide, and 15 centimeters thick, its length is 10 meters.

Length of Time

Length isn't just for physical objects; it can also describe an amount of time. The amount of time something takes has a length.

Time Example

Let's say John starts sitting at one o'clock (1 PM). He waits until three o'clock (3 PM) and then stands up. John was sitting for two hours. The "length" of time John was sitting was two hours.

See also

In Spanish: Longitud para niños