Examine the open reel tape measure. The tape is flexible, so it is the most versatile unit to measure feet or meters. The area to be measured can be quite large and does not have to be a straight line. The tape takes measurements in both feet and inches. You can tell which marks are for feet, because there will only be one every 12 inches. Look at the tape and identify the feet and inches marks.
Have a friend hold one end so the "0" mark is directly on the edge of the distance to be measured. Alternately, you can attach the tape measure's hook to a nail or post at this location.
Walk back with the tape measure until you have reached the desired distance. Look at the tape for the distance in feet.
Convert the measurement to meters. Enter the number of feet walked into the calculator. Multiply this by .3048 to get the number of meters.
If you are measuring kilometers, the distance is probably quite long, so the easiest way will be to use the trip odometer in your car. The odometer is usually located on the dashboard, under or near the vehicle odometer. You can tell the difference because the number on the trip odometer will be much smaller than the vehicle odometer. On analog odometers, you can reset the number by pushing the plastic rod next to the odometer. For digital units, there should be a reset button. Push the appropriate button to reset the trip odometer.
Drive the car to the distance you wish to measure, once the trip odometer is reset.
Convert the odometer reading from miles to kilometers. Enter the number of miles from the trip odometer into your calculator. Multiply this number by 1.609 to find the number of kilometers.
Convert the odometer reading from miles to meters. Enter the reading into the calculator and multiply by 1,609.3. This will give you the number of meters traveled.
Convert the odometer reading from miles to feet. Enter the reading into the calculator and multiply by 5,280. This will give you the distance traveled in feet.
Find an appropriate container. Chances are you will not have a specific quart measuring device. It is quite simple, however, to use a measuring glass. Look to see how many cups your measuring glass holds when full. Select the liquid you wish to measure and an empty container that will hold the amount of liquid you are measuring.
Pour the liquid you wish to measure into the measuring glass, and from there into the empty container. Make a tick on a piece of paper every time you empty one cup into the empty container.
Add the total number of cups. Enter this into the calculator and divide by four. The answer will be the total amount of quarts.