Need for Measurements
1 Minute
Why we need measurements for kids: learn how sharing resources fairly led early humans to create measurements. A short maths lesson in English.
- How early humans lived when the population was very low
- Living in groups and needing to share resources equally
- Dividing apples fairly and why measurements were created
What this lesson teaches
Measurements were created so that people could divide resources equally and give everyone a fair share. When early humans began living together in groups, they needed an orderly way to share what they gathered.
Early human life
When the human race first appeared, the population was extremely low. People were able to manage without having anything at all. Each person simply used whatever goods they could find for themselves, and there was no need to exchange goods with other people.
The shift to group living
As time went on, the human population increased. People slowly started living together in groups rather than staying on their own. Because they lived together, they could no longer just keep things for themselves and had to divide their shared resources equally among everyone.
Example of sharing food
- A person might gather and bring back a handful of apples.
- The apples had to be divided up among the members of the group.
- The fruit had to be shared so that every person received a fair share.
Why measurements were created
Dividing gathered resources equally among many people requires a method to determine what is fair. To make sure that everyone received an equal share of things like food, humans created measurements.