From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
- For the height of a triangle, see Altitude (triangle).
Height is the vertical measurement of an object. If the measurement is not taken vertically, it is termed the length (or sometimes, the width). Like length and width, it is measured in units of length.
In geodesy, height is the metric distance of a point (usually on the terrain surface, such as a mountain top) vertically above a reference surface such as mean sea level. A more precise definition of a reference surface would be the geoid, the equipotential surface of the geopotential that coincides in the mean with mean sea level. Such heights are called orthometric heights.
In aviation, height is the distance of a point above the surface of the Earth, as compared to Altitude, which is the distance above mean sea level. This is not to be confused with elevation, which is the height of the land below.
Human height is one of the areas of study within anthropometry. As pointed out in an article [1] in The New Yorker, the average height of human populations appears to be a convenient metric for all the factors that make up a group's well-being. While height variations within a population are largely genetic, height variations among populations are mostly environmental. The United Nations uses height (among other statistics) to monitor nutritional standards in developing nations. In human populations, average height can distill down complex data about the group's birth, upbringing, social class, diet, and health care system. However, the height of a human is not always directly connected or related to such things as nutrition, social class, etc.
[edit] See also
- International System of Units
- CGS units
- Imperial units
- U.S. customary units
- Chinese units