Tejas and Sneha each measure the same classroom table with their handspans
Tejas and Sneha each measure the same classroom table with their handspans. Tejas gets 8 handspans; Sneha gets 10. Tejas says both counts can be correct — it's the same table, but not the same hands. Sneha says that's impossible: it's one table, so one of them must have counted wrongly. Whose explanation makes sense?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: Tejas is right, their handspans are different lengths
Why
Sneha is correct that the table has only one length — that part is true. But a measurement is always a number AND a unit, and here each of them used a different unit. Sneha's handspan is shorter than Tejas's, so it fits into the same table more times. If Tejas's span is about 20 cm and Sneha's about 16 cm, then 8 of his and 10 of hers both come to about 160 cm. Both counted correctly; they simply used different-sized units. That is exactly why people agreed on standard units like the metre and the centimetre: a metre is the same length for everyone, everywhere, so two people measuring the same table get the same answer. Test: measure a book with your handspan and ask an adult to do the same — the counts differ; now both of you use a ruler — the readings match. Tejas is right: both counts can be correct because their handspans are different lengths, which is why a standard unit is needed.
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