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Five inches seems like a common measurement of length or height, but in actuality, there aren’t too many everyday objects that measure exactly 5 inches.
This can sometimes make it challenging to picture 5 inches or estimate the length.
Comparing 5 inches to some other common items, however, can make estimating the length much simpler.
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Money
One of the easiest ways to get a feel for a certain length is to compare the inches to money sizes.
For example, a United States quarter is exactly 1 inch in diameter. This means that it’s 1/5 of 5 inches. If you line up five quarters, you’ll have a length of exactly 5 inches.
United States dollar notes are also an excellent way to compare lengths.
A dollar bill is just about 2.5 inches at each side, so it’s half as tall as 5 inches.
These bills are also 6 inches along the top and bottom, so they’re just slightly longer than 5 inches.
Thumb Lengths
Since people are all different sizes, using body parts to compare to measurements isn’t always exact.
However, it can still be useful in a pinch. On average, the thumb of an adult person is about 1 inch long from the thumb tip to the top knuckle.
This means that five thumb lengths are about 5 inches long, give or take.
You can also compare 5 inches to the width of your palm.
Most adults have a palm that’s 4 inches across, just below the knuckles, which is just shorter than 5 inches.
You can compare more accurately by measuring across your palm.
Five inches will also be between about 1/3 and 1/4 of the length between your fingertips and your elbow.
Again, this length varies for everyone, but this distance is usually between 15 and 18 inches for most adults.
Paper Clips
Medium paper clips are usually about, if not exactly, 1 inch long, making them 1/5 as long as 5 inches. If you can visualize a paper clip, or if you have a paper clip handy, you can use it to accurately estimate 5 inches either by knowing that it’s about 1/5 of the length or by lining up 5 paper clips, which will bring you to right around 5 inches.
An iPhone
Although different smartphones vary in size, many of them, including several iPhone models, are right around, if not exactly, 5 inches tall.
For example, the iPhone 12 Mini is 5.1 inches tall.
This means that you can easily compare or estimate 5 inches just by glancing at your phone or remembering how it feels to hold.
A Can of Soda
Another common item that’s just about 5 inches tall is a soda can.
Most soda cans are just under 5 inches tall, at about 4.83 inches.
These cans are also about 2.6 inches across at the middle, which is just a tiny bit over half of 5 inches.
Furniture
You can compare 5 inches to several common furniture heights.
For example, most dining room or desk chairs have a seat that’s about 15 inches off the ground.
This is about three times higher than 5 inches. Many dining room tables are about 30 inches tall, which is six times higher than 5 inches.
Most doors are about 80 inches tall, although some may be slightly taller or shorter.
This means that, on average, a door will be 16 times taller than 5 inches.
Looking at a door and knowing how much bigger it is than 5 inches can give you a better grasp of just what 5 inches looks like.
One of the best items for quickly estimating 5 inches is a pen.
Pens can, of course, come in a variety of sizes, but in general, most pens are between 5 and 5.5 inches long.
You can also compare five inches to a pencil, which is usually about 7 inches long before it’s been sharpened, making it just 2 inches longer than 5 inches.
Rulers are another excellent way to compare 5 inches.
Not only can you use the marked-off inches to accurately measure out 5 inches, but simply picturing the length of a ruler can give you a good idea of 5 inches.
In the United States, most rulers are 1 foot or 12 inches long, which is just a bit more than double 5 inches.
Picturing a little less than half of a ruler’s length can help you estimate 5 inches.
If you don’t have a ruler handy, you can also compare 5 inches to a piece of copy paper.
In the United States, copy paper is 8.5 by 11 inches in size. If you fold a paper in half, bottom to top, you’ll have a measurement that’s just slightly more than 5 inches.
If you fold it in half side to side, the measurement will be just slightly less than 5 inches.
