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Home > News & Articles > Unit of Distance: SI & CGS Units (m, cm, mm km), Examples and Distance Conversion
Updated on 03rd June, 2023 , 6 min read
What is the Unit of Distance? Around us, there are many objects to measure. It can be as small as an atom and as large as the cosmos or a planet in terms of size and form. However, there are various units used for different objects if we need to determine the distance between two objects, whether they are tiny or big. A separate unit is used to measure the distance between two atoms, and a different unit is used to measure the size of massive worlds.
Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length of the path covered by an object during its motion. It is a measure of the separation between two points, or the total amount of ground covered by an object during its motion, irrespective of the direction of the motion.
Distance is typically measured in units such as meters (m), kilometers (km), miles (mi), and feet (ft).
The units we can use to measure distance include centimeters, meters, and kilometers. A measure in the CGS system is a centimeter/ cm.
The SI unit of distance is the meter (m). The meter is defined as the length of the path traveled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second. The meter is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI) and is used to measure distances ranging from subatomic particles to astronomical distances.
We can use a meter as a base unit in association with some equations to determine other units of various physical variables such as volume, area, acceleration, and speed.
The metric unit of distance is also the meter (m), which is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). The meter is used to measure distances ranging from very small distances, such as the size of atoms and molecules, to very large distances, such as the distance between planets and stars.
The table below shows metric units of Distance:
|
Unit |
Symbol |
|
Millimeter |
mm |
|
Centimeter |
cm |
|
Meter |
m |
|
Kilometer |
km |
The table below shows the different conversions of Distance:
|
Units → ↓ |
Millimeter(mm) |
Centimeter(cm) |
Meter(m) |
Kilometers(km) |
|
1 Millimeter(mm) |
1 |
0.1 |
0.001 |
0.000001 |
|
1 Centimeter(cm) |
10 |
1 |
0.01 |
0.00001 |
|
1 Decimeter(m) |
100 |
10 |
0.1 |
0.0001 |
|
1 Meter(m) |
1,000 |
100 |
1 |
0.001 |
|
1 Kilometer(km) |
1,000,000 |
100,000 |
1000 |
1 |
|
1 inch(in) |
25.4 |
2.54 |
0.0254 |
0.0000254 |
Metre measures are only helpful in measuring short lengths. A meter scale, however, cannot be used to determine vast lengths such as planet-to-planet or planet-to-star distances. To quantify it, we need a bigger scale. We use measures such as light year, parsec, and celestial units to measure long distances.
The Celestial Unit denotes the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is approximately 1.496 1013 cm, or 93 million miles. A light year is another measurement for measuring distance.
The distance traveled by light in a year is measured in light - years from earth. 1 light year equals 9.46 1017 cm.
The mean radius of Earth's orbit that subtends an angle of one second of arc is measured in parsecs (pc). It is an astronomical distance measure. The parsec unit of measurement is used to calculate distances to stars and galaxies.
1 parsec equals 3.26 light years = 296,265 Astronomical Units
Here are some methods that are commonly used to measure large distances:
These are just a few examples of the methods used to measure large distances in astronomy. Each method has its strengths and limitations and is used in different situations depending on the distance and the precision required.
Solution:To convert cm to meters, we divide by 100, so 250 cm = 2.5 meters.
Solution:To find the distance travelled, we use the formula: distance = speed x time. Plugging in the values, we get: distance = 60 km/h x 2 h = 120 km.
Solution:To find the speed in m/s, we need to convert the time to seconds and then use the formula: speed = distance/time. Converting 5 minutes to seconds, we get 300 seconds. Plugging in the values, we get: speed = 500 m/300 s = 1.67 m/s.
Solution:To find the time, we use the formula: time = distance/speed. Plugging in the values, we get: time = 4,000 km/800 km/h = 5 hours.
Solution:The formula for the circumference of a circle is: circumference = 2 x pi x radius. Plugging in the values, we get: circumference = 2 x 3.14 x 10 m = 62.8 meters. Therefore, the circumference of the circle is 62.8 meters.
Solution: The distance between the two points can be calculated using the distance formula: d = sqrt((x2-x1)^2 + (y2-y1)^2), where (x1,y1) = (3,4) and (x2,y2) = (6,8). Plugging in the values, we get: d = sqrt ((6-3) ^2 + (8-4) ^2) = sqrt (9 + 16) = sqrt (25) = 5 meters. Therefore, the distance between the two points is 5 meters.
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By - Nikita Parmar 2023-08-25 09:48:44 , 11 min readA unit of distance is a specific quantity used to measure how far apart two points are.
The basic unit of distance in the SI is the meter (m).
Distance is the total length traveled by an object, while displacement is the distance between the starting and ending points of an object’s motion.
The metric unit of distance is the meter (m).
There are 100 centimeters in a meter.
There are 5,280 feet in a mile.
A kilometer is a metric unit of distance, while a mile is an imperial unit of distance. One kilometer is equivalent to 0.621 miles.
The conversion factor for meters to feet is 3.28.
The conversion factor for kilometers to miles is 0.621.
Large distances in astronomy are typically measured in units of light-years, which is the distance light travels in one year (approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers or 5.88 trillion miles).
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