Mastering Measurement Conversions
Whether you are an architect reading foreign blueprints, a runner tracking your 5K race pace, or just trying to buy furniture that actually fits in your room, converting length measurements is an unavoidable daily task.
The Metric System (Base-10)
The metric system is beautiful because everything scales by powers of 10. You just move the decimal point.
- Millimeter (mm): 1/1,000th of a meter. (About the thickness of an ID card).
- Centimeter (cm): 1/100th of a meter. (About the width of a fingernail).
- Meter (m): The base unit. (Slightly longer than a yard).
- Kilometer (km): 1,000 meters. (About 0.62 miles).
The Imperial System
The Imperial system is heavily used in the US, and relies on historical, non-decimal scaling which makes manual conversion very difficult.
- Inch (in): 1/12th of a foot. Exactly 2.54 centimeters.
- Foot (ft): 12 inches.
- Yard (yd): 3 feet or 36 inches.
- Mile (mi): 5,280 feet.