Measurements... Literally, that is

I was on the way home from the hardware store with Karina tonight. We had just purchased the last piece of wood we'll need for the entryway bench I've been making.

As we drove towards home, Karina had her hand up on the 8-foot long piece of pine diagonally straddling the tops of the seats and sticking out the window of my small four-door sedan. Yeah, I probably should have taken the other car, or at least waited to buy the wood, but that would mean another trip...

As she looked up at the wood, feeling smug in her important, self-appointed role as "wood-holder," she began asking questions as to the fate of this piece of lumber.

"Daddy, where is this piece of wood going to go?" she asked.

"On the bottom of the bench," I replied, "to help hold up the bottom shelf."

Her questions continued. "How long are you going to cut this one?"

"67-5/8" I answered, thinking my answer would be fairly irrelevant to her, just a number without meaning.

She thought about it for a few seconds, and then my future creative engineer explained it to me. "That means 67, and then 8, 8, 8, 8, and 8. That's 67 and five 8's."