Difference between length and height is very precise, as length denotes how long the shape is, and height denotes how tall it is. Length is the horizontal measurement in a plane, whereas height is the vertical measurement.
In Geometry, the important parameters used to describe shapes are length, breadth and height. In most cases, students get confused with the terms such as length and height. Some students think that both the parameters or dimensions are the same. It shares only a few characteristics, but they have a lot of differences between them. Let us discuss the difference between length and height of an object in 2D and 3D shapes and definitions with examples.
Is Height Equal to Length?
The two confusing terms in geometrical measures are length and height. Most of the time, people get confused with these terms, which leads to the wrong solution for the problem. Both the measures of height and length can be expressed in terms such as meters, inches, feet and so on. The term height refers to how tall is an object. whereas length refers to how long is the object. Sometimes, there is confusion between the terms such as length and width. Length pertains to the longest side of the shape, and the width describes the wilderness of the object, which is the shorter side of the object.
Definition of Length and Height
Length: In Geometry, the length is defined as the longest dimension of an object. It describes the entity of an object, irrespective of the dimensions. It is usually measured along the X-axis, which is a horizontal extent.
Height: The height is defined as the measurement of the distance of an object from the base to the top. Sometimes, in Geometry, it is labelled as altitude. It measures the vertical distance from the lowest to the highest point. In General, it is the measurement along the y-axis of an object in the coordinate geometry.
What is the Difference Between Length and Height?
Go through the below comparison chart to differentiate the dimensions such as length and height and understand them in a better way.
| Comparison | Length | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Actual Meaning | The measurement of an object from one point to another. | Height measures an object from the top to bottom |
| Dimension | It is measured in the most-extended dimension. | It measures in the dimension that would be up in any orientation. |
| Axis of measurement | It is a measurement on the horizontal axis. | It is a measurement on the vertical axis. |
| Used for | The length determines how long an object is. | Height determines how high the object takes base as a reference. |
| Type of object | It can be a one, two or three-dimensional objects. | It is usually measured for 3-dimensional objects. |
| Examples | Line, square, rectangle, cube, etc. | Cube, cylinder, etc. |
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Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Q1
What is the difference between length and height?
The length of an object describes how long the object is and the height of the object states how tall the object is. For example, the length of the cuboid is different from its height unless it is not a cube.
Q2
What is the difference between length and width?
For a rectangle, its length states how long it is, and its width states how broad it is. But for a square, all its sides are equal; hence length and width are also the same for it.
Q3
What is length x width x height equal to?
The formula for the volume of a cuboid is equal to length x width x height.
Q4
What type of measurements are length and height?
The horizontal measurements represent the length and the vertical measurements represent height.
