The reason it takes more small paperclips to measure a pencil compared to using larger items, like bigger paperclips or a ruler, has to do with the relative sizes of the objects being used for measurement.
When you measure an object, you are essentially counting how many times the smaller object can fit into it. If a pencil is longer than a small paperclip, you will need to use more small paperclips to cover the entire length of the pencil. In contrast, if you were to use a larger object for measuring, like a ruler or a larger paperclip, you would cover more length in fewer measurements.
To summarize, the size of the measuring tool in relation to the object being measured determines how many units of that tool are required to measure the length accurately. Smaller items require more units to measure the same length compared to larger items.