Height and Weight

Maths Help suggests:

Ha! This is a joke, isn't it?

Q: A butcher is 5 feet 10 inches tall. What does he weigh?
A: Meat.

Actually, to prove that we mathematicians really do have a sense of humour, let us tell you about the Body Mass Index. This is calculated as follows:

• Measure your weight in kilograms
• Measure your height in metres
• Divide your weight by the square of your height

For example, if a man is 1.79 metres tall and weighs 86 kg, then his BMI is:
86 / 1.79² = 26.8
which puts him slightly overweight.

So let's get back to your butcher, who is 1.78 metres tall. Assuming he has an ideal BMI, then we can say
WEIGHT / 1.78² = 24
WEIGHT = 24 * 1.78² = 76
so he should weigh around 76 kg (or 12 stone).

If you want to find out more about this, and test your own figures, try the online Healthy Body Calculator