Metre, Length

The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. It is the basic unit of length in the metric system and in the International System of Units (SI), used around the world for general and scientific purposes. The symbol for metre is m. Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the equator to the north pole through Paris. Now, it is defined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures as the distance travelled by light in absolute vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. This is approximately the distance from floor to hip bone on the average barefoot man. Read more >>

I want to convert:

Metric

Kilometre
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Metre
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Decimetre
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Centimetre
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Millimetre
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Micrometre
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Nanometre
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Angstrom
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British/American

League
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Mile
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Furlong
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Chain
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Rod
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Yard
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Foot
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Link
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Hand
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Inch
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Line
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Mil
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Thou
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Nautical

Sea mile
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Fathom
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Astronomical

Parsec
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Light year
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Astronomical unit
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Light minute
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Light second
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In general English usage, length (symbols: l, L) is one particular instance of distance: an object's length is its extent along its longest dimension. This is to be contrasted with height, denoting vertical extent, and width (or breadth), denoting a lateral extent along a dimension shorter than an object's length. In the physical sciences and engineering, the word "length" is typically used synonymously with "distance". Read more >>