If you are trying to understand how long five inches is, you can use items measuring approximately five inches long as reference points.
This method may not be as accurate as using measuring tools, but it’s a helpful way to estimate measurements.
Many people in different settings, including DIY enthusiasts and those doing everyday tasks such as cooking, use this method of estimating measurements. And you can, too.
So if you need to work with or understand the measurement of five inches, this post is helpful.
Read on.
11 Common Things That Are 5 Inches Long
1. Two Standard Playing Cards
Standard playing cards are a tool for entertainment and games such as solitaire, bridge, poker, and blackjack.
Since these cards have standard sizes, measuring 3.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, they make perfect references for small measurements.
We have previously used them to understand how long 25 inches is, looking at them lengthwise. And if you can place two width-wise on a table, they’d be precisely five inches long.
2. An Uncapped Pen
Pens are everyday items that need no introduction. Do they? They’re so popular (and you probably have some at home), so they make excellent reference points since you can picture their size even when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night!
When capped, a typical pen, say the Bic Cristal, is usually 5.49 inches long, as we have seen in our previous posts when discussing 16 inches. But when you remove the cap, the length goes down to approximately five inches.
3. Five US Quarters
With a face value of 25 cents, the US quarters are popular in the United States. They are used in various coin-operated machines, such as parking meters and vending machines.
Similarly to pens, you probably have some US quarters at home reserved for your next shopping.
And as you already know, these coins are all equal, with a diameter of 0.955 inches. Therefore, place five side by side, and you will have an object only 0.225 inches shy of the five inches mark.
4. A Third of a Bowling Pin
Bowling pins are white items resembling a bottle used as a target in bowling, a popular competitive and recreational sport in the United States.
Bowling pins are perfect reference points for things measuring 15 inches long since they have a standard length of 15 inches. But if you imagine cutting one into three equal pieces, each would be precisely five inches long.
5. Three Golf Balls
Golf balls are used to play golf, a popular recreational sport throughout the United States.
If you’re familiar with golf, you know all golf balls are equal, as they must have a diameter of 1.68 inches, according to the United States Golf Association (USGA).So if you can place three side by side, they’d stretch to 5.04 inches.
6. Two and a Half Business Cards
Business cards contain vital information, including a person’s name, job title, company name, address, phone number, email address, and website URL. They are used in networking settings as promotional materials.
Most business cards are rectangular, usually 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. Picture three placed end-to-end on a table, then imagine cutting one at either end into half to get a sense of something as long as five inches.
7. Half a Burpless Cucumber
A burpless cucumber is a slender and cylindrical type of cucumber. It has faint stripes on the neck and a deep green, smooth, thin skin (which differentiates it from the traditional cucumber).
We’ve previously used burpless cucumbers as a perfect reference point for things measuring approximately ten inches since these vegetables are usually ten inches long.
And we’ll use them again; cut one into half to get two pieces, each five inches long.
8. Two Tennis Balls
Tennis is popular in the United States, so chances are you’re familiar with the small, round balls made of rubber and covered in a fuzzy-like material used in the sport.
According to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the diameter of a tennis ball must be between 2.5 and 2.7 inches. That means placing two end-to-end, they’d cover approximately five inches.
9. Three Table Tennis Balls
Table tennis balls are used in table tennis, one of the most widely played indoor sports in the United States. It’s played from high schools and colleges to recreation centers and universities – so you might have come across the balls during your experience with the sport.
Tennis balls are almost equal to golf balls, with a diameter of 1.57 inches. If you can place three end to end, they’d be just 0.29 inches shy of the five inches mark.
10. iPhone 12
If you’re a fan of Apple products, chances are you are familiar with the iPhone 12, arguably the most popular iPhone in the US. It boasts excellent performance and is the first iPhone to feature 5 G connectivity.
This iPhone has a display size of 5.4 inches long, but the little deviation doesn’t stop it from being a reliable reference point for five inches. And remember, the length is measured diagonally, from the bottom left to the top right corner of the screen.
11. A 12-oz Beverage Can
Typically made of aluminum or steel, 12-oz beverage cans are a popular form of packaging for different drinks, including soda, beer, energy drinks, and other carbonated soft drinks.
These cans have an overall height of 4.83 inches. So next time you want to conceptualize a length of five inches, imagine one lying on the ground, as it’s only 0.17 inches shy of the mark.
