On a miter saw, when you're cutting a 90 degree cut, the miter saw reads zero. On a protractor, it reads 90. So it's an unending source of confusion for people. RON HAZELTON: So Mark, show me how it works.
A ruler is used to measure units of length, inches, feet and yards. Standard rulers have inches on one side and centimeters on the other. A typical ruler measures up to 12 inches, and is equivalent to 30.48 centimeters. This is also equivalent to 1 foot. Each inch on a ruler has markings in between that are a fraction of an inch.
A ruler can be used for small objects, while a tape measure is preferable for larger ones or objects that are harder to reach. Measure all of the sides Note that when you place the object flat on a surface, the height is the dimension from the floor to the topmost part of the object. When measuring the other sides, the length is the longer of the two, and width is the remaining side. Related Questions.