Feet



=

Metres

Enter the value to convert into the box and modify the accuracy of the conversion by selecting number of significant figures or decimal places by clicking on the boxes provided.

Conversion Formulae

The conversion formula for metres (m) to feet (ft) conversions is as follows:

  • 1 metre = 3.28083990 yards

The conversion formula for feet (ft) to centimetres (m) conversions is as follows:

  • 1 yard = 0.3048 metres
Metres

The metre is the base SI unit of length and is one of the oldest metric units having been introduced in France in 1793. It was one of the base units of the mks system of measurements that formed the basis for the SI system in 1960.

Unit System

SI Metric

Definition

The metre is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second.

Base Unit

Metre

The metre is the SI base unit of length.

Abbreviation

Formal: m

The abbreviation is used with standard SI prefixes for other metric units of length e.g. cm for centimetres.

Information

The metre is the SI metric base unit of length and is one of the oldest metric units having been first introduced in France in 1799. The metre was defined at this time as one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator, measured along the meridian passing through Paris. This definition having been chosen over the length of a seconds pendulum (a pendulum with a half-period of one second) as the seconds pendulum varied dependent on geographic location.

The French government sponsored a survey of the meridian by Pierre M&ecaute;chain and Jean-Baptiste Delambre that determined the length of the metre and a platinum metre bar was selected for use as the mètre des Archives.

In 1867 it was decided to create a new metre standard, the International Prototype Metre, that was again a metal bar, this time made of platinum iridium alloy. The metre was defined as the distance between two lines on the bar (to avoid errors due to wear of the ends of the bar). This standard was internationally adopted at the Metre Convention in 1875 with the signing of a treaty on the 20th of July. In addition to the adoption of the standard the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) was created to conserve the International Prototype Metre.

As technology improved new more accurate measures of length were developed, the most commonly used being interferometry. In 1960 a definition of the metre was adopted as Resolution 6 of 11th CGPM defining the metre as follows: "The metre is the length equal to 1,650,763.73 wavelengths in vacuum of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the levels 2p10 and 5d5 of the krypton 86 atom."

When developments in electronics allowed the measurement of the frequency of light near the visible spectrum it became possible to define the metre in terms of the speed of light and Resolution 1 of the 17th CGPM then defined the metre as: "The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second." This definition is still in use.

More Information

Wikipedia: Metre

Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)

Global Adoption

The metre is in worldwide use in science and is in general use everywhere except the United States, Liberia and dependent territories. In other English speaking countries the use of feet and inches for a persons height is still in common use, despite legal adoption of the metre and yards are still used when referring to football and cricket pitch measurements.

Conversion Formulae

  • 1 metre = 1,000,000 micrometres
  • 1 metre = 1,000 millimetres
  • 1 metre = 100 centimetres
  • 1 metre = 10 decimetres
  • 1 metre = 0.1 decametres
  • 1 metre = 0.01 hectometres
  • 1 metre = 0.001 kilometres
  • 1 metre = 0.000001 megametres

 

  • 1 micrometre = 0.000001 metres
  • 1 millimetre = 0.001 metres
  • 1 centimetre = 0.01 metres
  • 1 decimetre = 0.1 metres
  • 1 decametre = 10 metres
  • 1 hectometre = 100 metres
  • 1 kilometre = 1,000 metres
  • 1 megametre = 1,000,000 metres
Feet

The foot is one third of a yard, a definition that has been in place since around 1300.

Unit System

Imperial & US Customary

Definition

The foot is defined as one third of yard.

Base Unit

Yard

Abbreviation

Formal: ft

Information

The foot has been used since ancient times as a unit of measurement, with both the Greeks and the Romans using a foot. The Greek foot was known as a pous and the Roman foot as a pes. Originally both these feet were divided into 16 subdivisions, but the Romans eventually changed to 12 subdivisions known as unciae. Unciae eventually became inches in the Imperial system, with the foot being defined in 'The Composition of Yards and Perches' an English statute from around 1300.

More Information

Wikipedia: Foot

Wikipedia: Composition of Yards and Perches

Global Adoption

Feet are a standard unit of length in the United States and Liberia and are still used informally in the United Kingdom and other British Commonwealth countries that formerly used Imperial units as standard. In aviation feet are still widely used worldwide as a measurement of altitude.

Conversion Formulae

  • 1 foot = 12 inches
  • 1 foot = 3 hands
  • 1 foot = 0.333333333 yards
  • 1 foot = 0.015151515 chains
  • 1 foot = 0.001515152 furlongs
  • 1 foot = 0.000189394 miles

Conversions accurate to 9 decimal places.

  • 1 inch = 0.083333333 feet
  • 1 hand = 0.333333333 feet
  • 1 yard = 3 feet
  • 1 chain = 66 feet
  • 1 furlong = 660 feet
  • 1 mile = 5,280 feet

Conversions accurate to 9 decimal places.

Common Conversions m to ft
mft
13.28
26.56
39.84
413.12
516.40
619.69
722.97
826.25
929.53
1032.81
mft
1032.81
2065.62
3098.43
40131.23
50164.04
60196.85
70229.66
80262.47
90295.28
100328.08
mft
100328.08
200656.17
300984.25
4001,312.34
5001,640.42
6001,968.50
7002,296.59
8002,624.67
9002,952.76
1,0003,280.84
Common Conversions ft to m
ftm
10.30
20.61
30.91
41.22
51.52
61.83
72.13
82.44
92.74
103.05
113.35
123.66
ftm
133.96
144.27
154.57
164.88
175.18
185.49
195.79
206.10
216.40
226.71
237.01
247.32
ftm
309.14
6018.29
9027.43
12036.58
15045.72
18054.86
21064.01
24073.15
Other Converters

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