Despite the general desire of the countries of the world to standardize, to this day there are duplicate measurement systems. For example, in some countries, miles and feet are used to measure distances. We are so accustomed to the metric system that the distance indicated in miles sometimes puts the average person in a stupor. This article is intended to help anyone who is experiencing problems with the imperial system. So, how many kilometers are there in an American mile?
In order not to bore the reader with the history of the origin of this unit of measurement, it is enough to say that it originated in the Roman Empire. Used mainly in English-speaking countries and former British colonies. At one time, even the Russian Empire almost completely switched to such a system.
The simple question "how many kilometers in one mile" is quite difficult to answer. Why? Because the meaning will be different in some countries and regions. It is logical to assume that the reader is interested in the standard mile, but even here there are difficulties: there is both a statute mile andand sea. It is not recommended to confuse them, because. for every 10 "error" miles you get 2 kilometers of difference - an unacceptable error even for everyday calculations.
First of all, let's find out how many kilometers in a nautical mile - exactly 1852 meters. It wasn't always like that. But we are only interested in the modern meaning. Nautical miles, oddly enough, are also used in aviation. Such miles are designated "NM", in contrast to land miles - "M".
Now it remains to find out how many kilometers are in one mile. As you noticed, the definition of "land" is missed, because. if no definition is mentioned, the default is to assume that the measurement is in standard British-American miles. Such a mile is equal to 1609 meters (with a small error).
When calculating offhand, you can simply multiply the number of miles by 1.5 - it's easier to calculate verbally, but the accuracy of such a calculation is extremely low. This is useful when there is no time to count or there is no calculator at hand. For example, when reading a book, when the actual length does not matter. However, for more serious calculations, it is better to use exact values.
Moreover, the problem of translation is not one-sided. You will be surprised, but at the time when you ask "how many kilometers in one mile", people using the imperial system experience a similar helplessness with meters. It all depends on what system a person is used to using. Fortunately, in all complex devices and documents there are twoscales for the convenience of users from different countries. In other cases, you will have to rely only on your mathematical abilities and memory. After all, just knowing how many kilometers are in one mile is not enough, you also need to remember the exact value when you need it. Therefore, it does not hurt to practice a little in transferring from one system to another.
For at least a week, make it a rule to convert all kilometers to miles wherever you see length mentioned. You will see, in a couple of days you will begin to carry out such calculations without thinking.