About Length and Height
To understand what length and height is, let us consider a few examples of three dimensional geometric objects such as cube, square, cuboid, pyramid etc. These objects are measured in terms of three dimensions namely length, width and height. Length is a measure of extent of an object or the parameter which identifies how long is the object. Whereas, the parameter ‘height’ refers to the tallness of the object and measures the altitude of the object. It is a common tendency among the students and facilitators to go with a right choice among length vs height. There is a general incorrect notion that length and height are the same. However, though length and height have many similarities, they are Mathematically two different parameters by definition. There is a difference between length and width too. This article helps you to analyze the similarities and differences between length and height.
What is the Difference between Length and Height?
Length and height are the quantities in Mathematics which are still believed by many learners and even experts in the field as the same. In spite of a list of similarities between these two, there is a subtle difference between length and height. The table below describes the comparison of length vs height.
Comparison of Length vs Height
Definition of Length
The longest dimension of an object is called its length. It is the horizontal extension of an object which is usually measured along the X axis of the cartesian coordinate graph. It gives the distance between the two ends. Length can be measured in terms of meters (centimeters, millimeters, kilometers), inches, feet, miles etc.
Irrespective of the dimensions, length refers to the size of an object. It represents the degree of extension between any two points on the horizontal plane.
Definition of Height
Height is also a measure of distance. However, it is not the same as measured in case of length. Height is the measure of vertical distance of the object. i.e. the measure of an object from top to bottom. Height of an object is usually referred to as altitude. In case of three dimensional objects such as trees, buildings and mountains, the measurement of their height is one of the key factors that gives them more importance. It can also be defined as the measurement of the vertical distance of the object from its lowest point to its highest point. Height is also one of the quantities measured to determine the physical fitness of humans. Height has the same units of measurement as in case of length. It is measured in terms of meters, inches, feet and miles.
Difference between Length and Height
Length is the measurement of the distance of the object from one end to another. Height is the measure of the distance between the base and top of the object.
Height ascertains the degree of tallness of the object and the length is the indicator of how long the object is.
Length is measured horizontally and is denoted along the X axis in the cartesian plane whereas height is measured vertically and is denoted along the Y axis of the cartesian plane.
Length is the longest facet of an object whereas height is the side of the object in the normal orientation but directed upwards.
Similarities of Length vs Height
Both length and height have the same units of measurement.
Length and height are measured in terms of units used for measuring the distance.
The units used for measuring length and height are: feet, inch, yards, meters.
Fun Facts
The word length has been derived from “lengthe” in Middle English, which literally means the property of being long or extended in a certain direction.
Length is also considered to be a property of time because a particular amount of time tends to have a length.
The metric system through which length is measured was first adopted in France.
The International System of Units have prescribed ‘meter’ as the standard unit accepted all over the globe to measure length and height or any kind of distance.
The height of a person is equal to the span of their arms when stretched out on the sides.
From the sea level, height is referred to as altitude.
Difference between length and width is that length is the longest side of the object whereas width is the shorter side. For example, in a rectangle with sides 4 cm and 9 cm, the width measures 4 cm whereas the length measures 9 cm.
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FAQs on Difference Between Length and Height for JEE Main 2024
1. What is length and what does it measure? How is it measured?
Length is the measurement of an object from a given point to another at the same plane. In other words, length is considered to be the longest dimension of an object. It tends to tell us how long a particular object or item is.
The length of an object is measured in a horizontal manner and is denoted on the X axis of the cartesian plane.
2. What is height and what does it measure?
The measurement of a particular object from the top to its bottom, is known as the height of the object. It tells us how tall that object is and is the side of the object in the normal orientation, only it’s directed towards the upward direction.
The height of an object is measured in a vertical manner and is denoted on the Y axis of the cartesian plane.
3. What is the difference between length and width?
The most common and the biggest difference between the length of an object and its width is that the former is considered to be the longest side of the object, whereas the latter is considered to be the shortest side. So, while the length of an object describes how long the item is, the width of the object tells us about how it is. For instance, in geometry, the length of a rectangle refers to the longest side of the shape and its width refers to the shorter side.
4. Are length and height the same thing? Is length always the longest?
No, length and height are not the same. The main difference between the length of an object and its height is that while the former indicates just how long a specific object is, the latter tends to determine the tallness of the object. For example, unless and until it isn’t a cube, the length of a cuboid tends to differ from its height.
The length of a particular object tells us how long that object is and is considered to be the longest dimension of the object. Therefore, yes, length is always the longest.
5. What is the importance of measurement?
When you quantify the attributes of a certain object or even an event to compare it to other objects and events, you’re basically measuring something. In other words, measurement is referred to as the act of comparing something to fix a standard value.
The tool of measurement is a very valuable one as it helps us to know the things around us and the environment that surrounds us in a better way. It more or less helps us to get to know more about the universe. Measurement makes our lives much easier and even safer. Besides, it is very important to measure certain things like distance, time, etc., correctly. And when we take the measurement of certain things, we’re able to make decisions based on it more independently and accurately.