Converting Inches and Feet

"All right Zuri, I think we have everything we need to make the superhero costumes." "I can not believe you found that magic fabric just sitting there!" "Just one thing, it seems like the sewing instructions are explaining the steps using inches and feet." Let's help Zuri and Freddie make their superhero costumes by converting inches and feet. When we measure length, width, or height, we can measure using inches and feet in the same way that we can use centimetres and metres. An inch is a small unit of length that is approximately equal to two and a half centimetres. When we write inches, we can abbreviate using the letters . We can use inches to measure smaller objects, like this piece of cheese. A foot is a unit of length that is larger than an inch and is approximately equivalent to thirty centimetres. When we write feet, we can abbreviate using the letters . Feet and inches are sometimes used when measuring peoples' heights. When we measure with inches and feet we can use a ruler or measuring tape. Sometimes we need to convert, or change, feet to inches and inches to feet. One foot is equal to twelve inches, and twelve inches is equal to one foot. We can use a ratio table to help us write our conversions. To set up the ratio table, first label feet on one side and inches on the other. One foot is twelve times bigger than one inch. That means to convert feet to inches, we multiply by twelve. Write times twelve next to the foot we are converting and solve. One times twelve is twelve, so there are twelve inches in one foot. Zuri and Freddie need to convert the first piece of fabric, which is three feet long, to inches. Write three under the feet column here. How many inches is three feet? Remember, one foot is twelve inches, so we multiply three times twelve. Three times twelve is thirty-six, so they need thirty-six inches of the magic fabric. The next piece of fabric is sixty inches long, this time they need to convert inches to feet. How can we do this? We can solve for feet by using the inverse, or opposite, operation. The inverse operation of multiplication is division, so we divide sixty inches by twelve. What is sixty divided by twelve? Sixty divided by twelve is five. That means they need five feet of the magic fabric. While Zuri and Freddie finish making their costumes, let's remember. Sometimes we need to convert, or change, feet to inches and inches to feet. One foot is equal to twelve inches, and twelve inches is equal to one foot. We can use a ratio table to help us write our conversions. To set up the ratio table, first label feet on one side and inches on the other. Finally, multiply by twelve to convert feet to inches or divide by twelve to convert inches to feet. "These superhero costumes are awesome, check this out Zuri!" "Yeah Freddie, they're super!" "I guess my superpower is going to be very useful!"