Measurement of Length - Distance

Measurements of length and distance are done in many ways. Did you know that you can use the average human body as means to measure? For example, the foot (which is literally the length measurement of an average human foot) is around 25 – 30 cm. This unit of measurement is still in use nowadays. We also use units like inches and yards which are still in use but they are not the standard units of length measurements.

What Is Distance?

Distance is defined as the product of speed and time and it can be represented as follows:

d=s×t

Where,

  • d is the distance travelled in m
  • t is the time taken to cover the distance in s
  • s is the speed in m.s-1

Metric Units Of Distance

Most commonly used units of measurement of length are:

  • Millimetre
  • Centimetre
  • Metre
  • Kilometre

Following is the table explaining the relationship between all these units:

Abbreviation Fullform Equivalent
mm millimetre 10mm = 1cm
1000mm = 1m
cm centimetre 100cm = 1m
m metre 1000m = 1km
km kilometre 1000m = 1km