Lets’ face the facts; How many people can pick up a tape measure time and time again, and get the same effect every time? I would have to say it took years to get consistent measurements that another person could use my help with. The basics are the fractions, and there is no doubt I did okay with that. All too often we come across people who are un-able to “Do The Math “.
A basic tape measure is broken down into Feet, inches and fractions of individual inches. Lets say you want to center a light fixture on the ceiling of a room; where the rooms dimensions are 155 and 5/8 “ . Starting with the 155 you can instantly notice that half of $1.50 ( or 150 ) is $.75 ( or 75 ) and half of $5 or (5) is $2.50 or (2.5) so half of 155 must be (75+2.5 ) 77.5 or 77 and a ½”. I never divided the 5/8 in half but I swear that is the easiest part.
150 + 5 + 5/8 is the same as 155 and 5/8”
75 2.5 5/16 is half of each simple problem
Any fraction on the tape measure is divided in half simply by doubling the half to quarters, quarters to eighths, eighths to sixteenths, or even the sixteenths to thirty seconds.
For instance half of
1/2 (half, Or two Quarters) is 1/4( One Quarter or 25 cents or .25 ) I use money a lot because our dime is tenths while our quarters are either .25 or ¼ or 2/8 or 4/16 or even 8/32 of a dollar or an INCH..
Why the dime? Simple. Five dimes is a half dollar, AKA $.50, AKA two quarters or even ” 5 out of ten”
(5/10)
So we had 5/8 and half of that must be 5/16 . See how the top number stayed the same. When cutting a fraction in half it will always stay the same on top and double on the bottom. It is a tape measure not a chemical formula for rocket fuel. We do not need to remember our full scholastic history to do this. Just do as I have shown and double the bottom number. Half of 5/8 is 5/16. You can always check math problems by doing the opposite back to it. So just for the sake of testing I want to know what 10/16 is equal to. There is a right way to find out the simplest term, and I can’t remember it. For a tape measure it really is not that relevant how you get to the lowest number, only that one of the two numbers can not be devided by two. So 10 divided by 2 = 5 and 16 divided by 2 = 8 …. 5/8. It worked. Back to the tape measure and the room. 155 divided in half is 75+2.5 or 77.5.
( We can check that the exact same way 70 + 70 is 140 , 7+7 is 14 ,and .5 + .5 is one .)
There for 140+14+1 should be 155 .
40 + 14 is 54 . 54 + 1 is 55. 100 + 55 is 155. So all of that worked out just fine.
Did I loose you? Was it the .5? Remember what $.50 is? A Half dollar right? So although I am adding and subtracting apples from oranges and doubling my mangos; I am still getting down to the proper answer. A half dollar is absolutely equal to 5/10 (because that is exactly what .5 means) .
On the tape measure there are three fractions that equal the exact same as .5. There is the notorious ½” mark; that stands exactly half way between any two individual inch lines. That same mark that also translates into 2 quarters (2/4) 4 eighths ( I have the pot heads attention) and 8 sixteenths (or 8/16) I know this is getting hard to understand but bare with me and I will bring it all together for you right now.
½ = 2/4 = 4/8 = 8/16
The numbers up there are all the same number! Nobody wants to hear; “Cut me one at 8/16ths” but face it I cant put 5/16 with a half either so I have no choice but to convert my half into it’s equal 16th.
I can not add 5/10 to my 5/16 because I don’t think they made a mark for that on my tape measure. I need to find the lowest common denominator….NO! Okay, maybe I do; but I do not care what that means. I just need both numbers to be on the tape measure. I have to go with the 16ths. How many 16ths are there in a half of anything…. Be it a dollar, an inch, or a pizza slice, half of 16 is 8. Now I can finally combine the entire cluster of crap into one stinking answer. 8+5=13 Those were sixteenths I was adding so I have 13/16” and 77 inches. Or 77 and 13/16”.
Now you are asking yourself why the hell I would put myself through three mathematic problems to solve something as simple as a half of anything. Here is why; Every single thing I did above is what I call “ TOP OF MY HEAD MATHEMATICS” Nothing is hard about any of those numbers when they are put in simple terms. I can do all of these ridiculous steps faster than you can forget 155 and 5/8 while you are trying to divide 155 by any number. Or even worse; If you are getting two and a half eighths.
I just walked through the one dimension of the room and I want you to get the easy part. Now we need to center the other dimension of the room which has a measurement of one hundred and ¼” ( 100 ¼”)
DOUBLE THE QUARTER for 1/8th. One eighth is half of one quarter.
So 50 and an 1/8” . Is that what you got? ( I really hope so ).
So now why is it that every time I cut a board it either, does not reach, or I can’t beat it into its place. When I draw A line here under these words would you say it marks the start of this topic, or the end of the last? I cant be guessing which one it is, and the same goes for the marks you make from your tape measure.
This line does not just have one little place. In fact; it has a leading edge, a tailing edge , and a centerline. All three of these locations have different numerical values and until you pick an edge and keep it, you will never cut two boards the same. Trying to cut right down the center of the line always seems to be a pain, because the saw blade is bigger than the line and you can’t tell how much you are cutting off each side of the line. What I make it a point to do is cut the line off on its edge. One edge. I mark my lumber in a way that the edge of my line does not enter my measurement, but edges the measurement. Then I cut the line on tis edge. The side of the blade will ride down the edge of the line and I will keep it there. You have to remember that not only does your line have a depth, but so does the saw blade. Edge of blade to edge of line.
Often when you measure things, they do not line up with the marks on your tape measure. Then it would be referred to as:” light or heavy. “ Light meaning less a line and heavy meaning more a line.
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