What is a mile equal to in kilometers? What is a nautical mile and what is a knot equal to?
Or adventures, in films about desperate sailors, in articles on geographical topics and in conversations between sailors, the term “nautical mile” often slips through. The time has come to figure out what length is equal to in shipping, and why sailors do not use the kilometers we are accustomed to.
What is 1 nautical mile?
Initially, this value corresponded to the length of 1/60 degree of the arc of a circle on the surface of the Earth with the center coinciding with the center of the planet. In other words, if we consider any meridian, then a nautical mile will be approximately equal to the length of one minute of latitude. Since it differs somewhat from the outline of an ideal sphere, the length of 1 minute of a degree of the meridian in question may differ slightly depending on latitude. This distance is greatest at the poles - 1861.6 m, and least at the equator - 1842.9 m. To avoid confusion, it was proposed to unify the length of the nautical mile. The length taken as a basis was 1 minute of degree at 45º latitude (1852.2 m). This definition led to the fact that the nautical mile became convenient for calculating navigation problems. For example, if you need to measure a distance of 20 miles on a map, then it will be enough to measure 20 arc minutes with a compass on any meridian marked on the map.
Beginning in 1954, the United States began using the international nautical mile (1852 m). In practice, it is often rounded to 1800 meters. An official designation for this unit was never adopted. Sometimes the abbreviation "nmi", "nm" or "NM" is used. By the way, “nm” is the generally accepted designation for nanometer. 1/10 international nautical mile = 1 cable = 185.2 meters. And 3 miles are equal to 1 nautical league. In the past, the UK often used its own nautical mile, equal to 1853.184 m. In 1929, an international conference was held in Monaco on various issues of hydrography, at which the length of the nautical mile was determined to be 1852.00 meters. Do not forget that a mile can be not only sea, but also land. In this case, its length is 1.151 times less than sea length.
What is the relationship between a nautical mile and a knot?
The nautical mile, or, as it is sometimes called, geographical or navigational, has become widespread in geography, aviation and navigation. Closely related to it is the concept of a sea knot, used in shipping as the basic unit of speed. One knot is equal to one mile traveled per hour of the ship's movement. The name “knot” is due to the fact that in the old days a log was used on ships to measure speed. It was a log or board in the shape of a triangle to which a load was tied. A line (rope) was attached to this, on which knots were tied at a certain distance. The log was thrown overboard, after which, over a selected period of time (from 15 seconds to 1 minute), the number of knots that went into the water was counted.
There are different versions regarding the distance between nodes. Some believe that it was 25 feet and if one knot left in 15 seconds, the result was one nautical mile (100 feet/min). According to the second version, the knots were tied in 47 feet and 3 inches (14.4018 m), and the countdown took 28 seconds. In this case, one knot showed a speed of 101.25 ft/min.
We hope that now you will not have difficulty understanding maritime terminology, and miles with knots will become as understandable as regular kilometers.
The mile as a unit of measurement for long distances did not first appear in England or the USA (where it ultimately took root). This word was invented by the ancient Romans, and it only means “thousand”. This is exactly how far a legionary had to go in full combat gear to feel tired and rest a little.
History of mileage
At first, miles were used to indicate increasingly greater distances: both on land and at sea. But then, with the advent of the meter, using the mile as a unit of length became not entirely convenient: after all, it is not every day that you need to travel such distances on dry land, and in other cases, for example, to measure the length of objects, using a mile is even less appropriate.
But sailors from all countries and continents fell in love with the mile. If this is not surprising for a great maritime power - England - what do you say about the Portuguese navigator Magellan or the Turkish marshal Piri Reis? Nevertheless, they also fell in love with the mile. Miles began to denote all distances on nautical charts and were used when calculating distances using sextants. Later, derivatives of the nautical mile appeared. For example, a knot, a unit of speed for a sea vessel, is one mile per hour. It is interesting that in English-speaking countries, measuring speed in miles per hour was practiced at the end of the twentieth century, and in the USA and conservative Great Britain, some brands of cars are still equipped with speed measuring devices where miles appear.
How many miles were there in total?
A lot of. In an era of not very intensive connections between different regions, there were German, French, Norwegian and even Scottish miles. The longest was the French one (otherwise known as league), and on land it corresponded to 4444.4 m, and at sea - 5555.5 m. However, the longest mile comes from Norway: it was almost 11300 m.
In modern practice, a mile is firmly established in maritime affairs: there it is equal to 1852 m. Such a multiple number was chosen by navigators for a reason: this is exactly the length of the arc of 1/60° of the earth's meridian. Since sailors are not spoiled with land landmarks, it is easier to measure distances on the open sea using astronomical parameters.
Some transnational automakers that sell their products both in Europe and overseas supply the speedometer scale with both “mile” and “metric” parts. Not very convenient, but original.
But in Russia the mile did not take root. If it was used, it was only as an addition to the traditional mile. It turned out very clumsily - one Russian mile corresponded to 7467 meters. Try to remember here...
More than two hundred years ago, France passed the Law on the Metric System, which has been used by most of the world ever since. We are talking about meter and gram. Before that, each country had its own ways of measuring distance and mass, for example, the arshin and fathom among the Slavs. Now it seems to us that such measures are terribly inconvenient; everyone is accustomed to the same measurement measures in every country. But countries such as Myanmar, Liberia and the United States do not use the generally accepted metric system.
Measuring, for example, distance still occurs using miles, and the question of how many kilometers are in a mile or how many centimeters are in inches is often of interest to domestic consumers of foreign, namely American, products.
The history of the concept of “mile”
This is a measure used in a number of ancient countries, and its name comes from the Latin mille passuum - this was the name for the distance of a thousand double steps taken by Roman soldiers on the march, fully dressed in the armor of that time. But there is no single system for converting miles to kilometers. This is due to the fact that back in the 18th century in Europe there were about... fifty different miles. The smallest mile, compared to a kilometer, is the Egyptian mile, equal to 580 meters. And the maximum value is the Old Norse mile, equal to 11.3 kilometers.
Mile in different countries
The French had at least two miles - land and sea, and their dimensions were derived as part of the length of the arc of the earth's meridian. How many kilometers are in a land mile was calculated from 1/25° of the earth's meridian, and this is 4444.4 meters, that is, almost 4.5 kilometers, similarly to a nautical mile, 1/20° of the earth's meridian, and this is 5.555 km.
A milliatrium, also known as an ancient Roman mile, is equal to 1.482 km. The Old Russian mile was equal to seven versts, and now it is almost 7.5 kilometers, approximately the same value - 7420 meters is the German one mile. How many kilometers the Swedes and Norwegians equate to one mile is 10.668 km and 11.298 km, respectively. True, after the adoption of the law on metric measures, both countries equated a mile to ten kilometers exactly.
Why doesn't the US adopt the metric system?
Why does a country with the highest degree of development still use the old system of calculations? This question is connected with many nuances. They tried to carry out the transition many times, but various historical events and financial expenses required for such an undertaking interfered. For example, after gaining independence in 1776, the United States wanted to restore order in the system of measuring quantities. But it turned out that this would require sending a delegation to France. At that time, such a trip would have been very expensive, and the matter was postponed indefinitely. When the American Civil War ended (1865), most European countries had already switched to the metric system, and this fact could no longer be ignored. In 1866, an act was signed declaring the metric system official for lawsuits, contracts and transactions. That is, for almost 150 years the United States should have been using the metric system accepted by the whole world. The reality is that in the US, the use of the metric system is “recommended.” It is not mandatory, therefore only 30% of products are “metrically metered”. This applies to pharmaceuticals, where they use only the metric system, but otherwise can provide data using two systems.
How many kilometers are there in a mile now?
Nowadays there is a concept of two miles - sea and land. A nautical mile is equal to 1862 meters, an American land mile is equal to 1.609344 kilometers. To calculate how many kilometers are in a mile, simply multiply the number in miles by 1.6 for an approximate value. So, a car speed of 40 miles per hour will be approximately equal to metric 65 kilometers per hour.
The American mile is 1 km 609 m, there is also a nautical, Roman, geographical, and German mile. By modern definition, an international nautical mile is equal to 1852 meters (exactly). Naval miles, oddly enough, are also used in aviation. This measure of length came to us from antiquity and has many varieties and, as a result, meanings - from 580 meters in an Egyptian mile to more than 11 kilometers in a Norwegian mile.
Based on the length of the flight in British/American miles, an accounting unit of the same name for airline bonus programs also emerged. Miles A mile is the most popular unit of length and is equal to 5,280 feet (1,760 yards or about 1,609 meters). The use of the mile as a unit of measurement is now common in Great Britain, the United States of America and Canada.
Do you know why kilometers are good, and why, in fact, they became the main unit of measuring distance? Yes, the decimal system played a role here, but there is another reason - the kilometer is the standard, while the mile can be different. The most common mile is 1609 meters, but if we are talking about sea distances, then most likely we are talking about a nautical mile, which is already equal to 1852 meters.
Literally, “mile” means one thousand “canes” (double steps). On BV people often ask questions like “how many units of such and such will there be in units of such and such.” 0.58 km and up to 11.3 km. In a nautical mile there are 1852 of our earthly meters. But there are other miles, the measures of which you can see in Eldena's answer.
Mile in different countries
That is, approximately 1609 meters. Here you can easily and very quickly convert miles to km and back online. For example, in a number of countries miles and feet are used to measure distances. We are so accustomed to the metric system that distances indicated in miles sometimes confuse the average person.
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. It is logical to assume that the reader is interested in the standard mile, but there are complications here too: there is both a land mile and a sea mile.
When doing calculations offhand, you can simply multiply the number of miles by 1.5 - this is easier to calculate verbally, but the accuracy of such a calculation is extremely low. You will be surprised, but while you ask “how many kilometers are in one mile,” people using the imperial system experience similar helplessness with meters.
After all, just knowing how many kilometers there are in one mile is not enough; you also need to remember the exact value when needed. Therefore, it won’t hurt to practice a little in transferring from one system to another. 1/250 of a square kilometer. MILE - (French mille, German Meile). MILE - (English mile), a unit of length that was widespread in the national world. metric
You are converting distance from kilometers to miles
MI/LA and; and. [English] mile] 1. A unit of length, measuring distances, used in maritime affairs. The ship was traveling at a speed of eight miles per hour. Morskaya metro station (distance 1.853 kilometers). Thus, moving one nautical mile along the meridian approximately corresponds to a change in geographic coordinates by one minute of latitude.
A travel measure of length, used mainly in maritime affairs. Swim a few miles. Etymology: From English mile (← Latin milia passuum ‘a thousand double Roman steps’). That's three feet, or 91.44 centimeters. Since the yard is only slightly short of the meter, then if you do not need high accuracy, you don’t even need to convert this metric unit.
A travel measure in Europe, which has different sizes, in Russia = 7 versts. Thus, if you come across a value in feet, but you are more accustomed to thinking about it in meters. It is also possible that you have perfectly mastered the language of Shakespeare and read the English-language press in the original - in this case, knowledge of what these quantities are will also be useful.
Distance in astronomy
However, in the vast majority of cases, a mile is understood as a British (or American) mile - 1609 meters 34 centimeters. So if now your child asks how tall Thumbelina was in Andersen’s fairy tale, you can answer with accuracy.
Convert units: kilometer [km] mile
A word that is often used in crossword puzzles and is the answer to the question "English measure of area." But this is not a problem - just double your weight in kilograms and report it to the simulator. This is 1/16 of a pound, or 28.35 grams. Used in medicine for weighing drugs, as well as in perfumery. Look at the packaging of your perfume - you will probably find a 3.3 fl. oz. - this is the designation of the mass (or, more precisely, volume) of perfume in ounces.
Every laptop has a conversion table. Sorry, the author chose the wrong topic. And the boards, pipes - all the supplies for the craftsman's work were always measured in inches in Rush - God, who came up with all this! Cruise ship Celebrity Reflection in port in Miami. Length is the largest measurement of the body. In three-dimensional space, length is usually measured horizontally.
The nautical mile was originally defined as the length of a great circle on the surface of the globe measuring one minute of arc. A mile (from the Latin milia passuum - a thousand double Roman steps) is a travel measure for measuring distance. First of all, let's figure out how many kilometers there are in a nautical mile - exactly 1852 meters. It wasn't always like this. The simple question “how many kilometers are in one mile” is quite difficult to answer.
The British metric system causes a lot of inconvenience for those who are accustomed to simple and understandable kilograms, meters and liters. How the mile in km is determined and why the ancient measure turned out to be so tenacious is discussed in this article.
Historical measures
From the distant past, inches and miles, pounds and yards, bushels and pints came to us. All these units of measurement were directly related to man. Without a standard system of weights and measures at hand, people used what was nearby. What could be closer than your own hands and feet? This is how the first anthropometric measures related to the size of people’s body parts appeared. For example, an inch was the length of the phalanx of the index finger. A foot is the size of an adult man's foot, and so on. But what is 1 mile? How many kilometers is it?
What kind of miles are there?
This well-known measure of length came to us from ancient times. Due to its age, it has many interpretations. When answering the question “1 mile - how many kilometers?”, you should definitely clarify which unit of measurement the interlocutor has in mind. The Egyptian mile is 580 meters long, and the longest, the Norwegian mile, is almost 11 kilometers.
Until the mid-18th century, in Europe alone there were about 46 different miles, which measured completely different distances.
Why is that?
This discrepancy in interpretation of this standard measure of length is easily explained. The word "mile" has Latin roots. This standard measure of length was measured by one thousand steps of the ancient Roman legionnaires.
After the decline of the Roman Empire, a simple and convenient value began to be used throughout Europe. Yes, they just considered it differently. Many peoples agreed on the mile with their national measures of length. For example, the Russian mile was equal to seven versts, the French equated it to their Gallic leagues, and the British measured the mile in furlongs. The proud Scots also used this measure of length, but it varied significantly in its dimensions in different regions of the Highlands and was somewhat longer than the English one.
Link to geography
Later, with the advent of precise measuring instruments, they tried to standardize the wayward mile. Over the centuries, the study of the surrounding world has given scientists accurate knowledge about the structure of our planet. It turned out to be very convenient to draw the surface of the Earth with parallels and meridians and tie existing units of length to geographical measurements. One of the first in this series was 1 mile. How many kilometers did it cover in geographical units? Everything depended on the name.
Such a different mile
Practical Germans were the first to fall in love with this conformity. From now on, the German mile (also known as the geographical mile) was equal to 1/15 of a degree of the equatorial parallel, which amounted to 7.420 km.
The French separated land and sea miles, but equated both values to the share of the earth's meridian. One land league occupies the 25th part of one degree of the meridian. In the standard system of weights and measures, one French mile is 4.44 km. A nautical mile is slightly longer. The French equated it to 1/20 of a degree of the meridian. Accordingly, its length will be greater - a French nautical mile is 5.55 km.
The Swedes did it the easiest way. Before the spread of the metric system, they used their own mile, which was equal to 10.6 km. After the approval of the international SI system, the Swedes only slightly shortened their mile and recognized it as equal to 10.0 km.
British (American) mile
Of course, the most widely used is the British mile, often called the American mile. By default, international business documents assume the British 1 mile. How many kilometers of air routes are converted into miles for British and American passengers is known only to employees of international airlines.
After all, according to tradition, the duration of air flights and bonuses for passengers are calculated in American miles. One such unit of length is 1.609 km and is a multiple of eight furlongs, 1760 yards and 5280 feet.
