Measurements which goes first

Special Offers. Monthly Specials, New Products, Overstock. About Us. How do you measure a box? The first dimension to measure is length. Length is always the longest side of the box that has a flap. The next dimension is width. The width side also has a flap, but is always the side shorter than the length. Measure the height of the package. Height is the only dimension without a flap. If a person is looking at a rectangular shape, the length should refer to the longest side.

One can equate length with the word "long" in this instance. Conversely, width would refer to the shorter side and is used to describe how wide the rectangle is. Height In terms of dimensions of an object, the terms "length" and "height" might be used interchangeably. Both terms refer to the longest side of the shape.

The difference lies in the orientation of the object or shape. If the shape is oriented vertically, then its dimensions are often listed as height and width. If it is oriented horizontally, then the dimensions are listed as length and width.

Again, there are no strict rules regarding the terminology. A person should use the pair of terms that make the most sense with the object being described.

Standard Measurements for Objects Certain situations or scenarios use standard measurement descriptions. For example, when referring to blueprints or the size of a room, the dimensions are listed with width first and length second. A three-dimensional desk for example, may be expressed as 25" X 82" X 39" which means the desk is 25 inches wide by 82 inches long and 39 inches tall.

A window dimension on blueprints is treated as two-dimensional space. For example, a window that is 24 inches wide by 30 inches tall would be written as 24" X 30". In the manufacturing industry, this standard window size is referred to as a or 2 feet by 3 feet. In a rectangular swimming pool, the dimension might read 16' X 30' X 9' or 16 feet wide by 30 feet long and 9 feet deep.

In both physics and mathematics, a dimension represents the least number of coordinates required to identify any point with in it. A line represents one dimension, whereas a square represents two dimensions and a cube applies to three-dimensional space.