I don’t want to get into a lengthy discussion in a blog about length and converting lengths. Actually, I apologize for the pun. Length may seem like a pretty straight-forward measurement, but there have been so many ways that people have measured length through history. It is common to make mistakes when people don’t reference the same standard of measurements. Because of the different ways to measure length, it’s important to know the math behind converting from one system of measurement to another.
There are two basic systems of measurement currently used in the world. Probably the most widely used is the Metric System. This system is fairly simple to use. For length, the basic unit is the meter. For longer and shorter measurements, the meter is either multiplied, or divided, by powers of 10. For example, for measurements that would require thousands of meters to measure, you may use a decameter which is equal to 10 meters. A hectometer is equal to 100 meters. And for longer measurements, a kilometer is 1000 meters.
The same can be used for smaller measurements of length. A decimeter is 1/10th of a meter, a centimeter is 1/100th of a meter, and a millimeter is 1/1000th of a meter.
The United States has it’s own customary measurement system that is derived from the British Imperial system. The basic lengths used in this system have been derived from centuries of different standards of measurements. This system is made up of various lengths like the inch, foot, yard and mile. Although this system is very widely used in the US, the metric system is still preferred as the standard for use in Science, Aviation and the Military.
Because of the difference between these two commonly used standards of length, it is important to know how to convert from one system to the other. Because measurements of length are necessary in designing buildings, machinery, or just for comparisons, it is easy to see how mistakes can be made when converting. For an example of a common length conversion, try using this Mile to Metric Length Conversion Calculator. Just the same, you can use this Kilometer to Mile Conversion Calculator. The next time you travel, try converting miles to kilometers, or look at the speedometer to see how many kilometers per hour is equal to 60 miles per hour.
For more length conversion calculators, try the link below.
Length Conversion Calculators
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