Conversion of Length

How to Convert Lengths

To convert length from one unit to another: multiply by the correct number.

Follow these steps:

Let's look at a detailed example:

rulers 1ft vs 1m

When we put a 1-meter ruler next to a
1-foot ruler, they look like this

Look closely and we see that the 1-foot ruler comes to exactly 0.3048 on the meter ruler

So, the conversion for feet to meters is: 1 ft = 0.3048 meters

To convert feet to meters, multiply by 0.3048

In fact we could put three 1 foot rulers next to each other like this:

rulers 3ft 0.9144m

Now you can see that 3 feet = 3 × 0.3048 meters = 0.9144 meters

So: 3 ft = 3 × 0.3048 m = 0.9144 m

The conversion for kilometers into miles is:

1 km = 0.6214 mile (to 4 digits of accuracy)

So, the length conversion is "multiply by 0.6214":

5 × 0.6214 = 3.107

So: 5 km = 3.107 miles (to 3 decimal places)

Sometimes you can get the conversion the "wrong way around", so it is a good idea to think "will my answer be more or less?"

If you get the wrong answer, try dividing by the conversion number.

Will the answer be more or less than 8? Feet are smaller than meters, so there should be more feet than meters.

The conversion is 1 ft = 0.3048 meters.

To the nearest 0.1 feet:

Answer: 8 m = 8 ÷ 0.3048 = 26.2 ft