Subsubsection Length Units
In the US standard system, the inch (in) 1" (double apostrophe) is the primary unit, with the foot (ft) 1’ (single apostrophe), yard (yd) and mile (mi) used for larger distances.
In the metric system, the base unit for length is the meter (m). Its subdivisions include the centimeter (cm), millimeter (mm). The kilometer (km), equivalent to 1,000 m is used for longer distances.
The Nautical Mile (NM) is used as a unit of length for marine navigation. The nautical mile was originally defined as one minute of latitude along any meridian. This unit is particularly useful for navigation because it makes it easier to calculate distances on maps and charts that use latitude and longitude coordinates.
| U.S. Standard | Metric | Conversions |
|---|---|---|
| 12 inches = 1 foot | 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters | 1 inch = 2.54 cm |
| 3 feet = 1 yard | 1 meter = 100 centimeters | 1 ft = 0.3048 m |
| 1,760 yards = 1 mile | 1 kilometer = 100,000 centimeters | 1 yd = 0.9144 m |
| 5,280 feet = 1 mile | 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters | 1 mile = 1.6093 km |
| 6,076 ft = 1 Nautical Mile | 1 Kilometer = 3,280.84 ft |
