Theme can be used to create a professional Q&A community. How long will the footprints on the moon last? Foot (ft) British/American The nautical mile is 1.852 km and the regular mile is 1.6093 km, a difference of about 15%. Astronomical unit (AE) 4 decimals Metric Kilometre (km) Metre (m) Decimetre (dm) Centimetre (cm) Millimetre (mm) Micrometre (µm) Nanometre (nm) Angstrom (Å) … A fathom is also equal to 1.8288 meters. Decimetre (dm) What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean? You may ask — actually, fellow Straight Dope Science Advisory Board member Karen Lingel asked — what’s the difference between a nautical mile and a regular old statute mile? Fathom, old English measure of length, now standardized at 6 feet (1.83 metre), which has long been used as a nautical unit of depth. Corrections? Fathom — six feet or approximately 183 centimeters. Fathom 0 1 2. Light year Define fathom. Astronomical unit (AE) The result will be shown immediately. Centimetre (cm) The name comes from the Old English faedm or faethm, meaning outstretched arms. The maximum approximation error for the fractions shown in this app are according with these colors: This application software is for educational purposes only. Presumably they felt the need to define it this way because of the impossibility of measuring 5,280 feet on the trackless sea surface. Light second Most modern nautical charts indicate depth in metres. THOUGH THE SDSAB DOES ITS BEST, THESE COLUMNS ARE EDITED BY ED ZOTTI, NOT CECIL, SO ACCURACYWISE YOU'D BETTER KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. You can convert that and a hundred different things into a hundred other different things at this site- http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_all.htm Receive all latest updates and answers right into your inbox. How did “nuts” and “bananas” come to mean “crazy”? Angstrom (Å) 1 fathom = 6 feet. Nautical mile Nautical Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? STAFF REPORTS ARE WRITTEN BY THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD, CECIL'S ONLINE AUXILIARY. Its size varied slightly depending on its base definition, either based on a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. (Fortunately for all concerned, a kilometer is a kilometer no matter where you measure it.). It is equal to 2 yards, 6 feet or 1.829 meters. What’s the origin of the skull and crossbones pirate flag? fth. A STAFF REPORT FROM THE STRAIGHT DOPE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD. However, the U.S. Hydrographic Office uses feet and fathoms. How did these terms come about? Parsec (pc) 10 decimals. What is the origin of the song “There’s a place in France/Where the naked ladies dance?” Are bay leaves poisonous. Rod (rd) Nautical This came about because the divisions on the log line used to measure the speed of the ship were marked by knots in the line. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Foot (ft) Asked by Wiki User. What is the answer for level 23 on prove your logic? Register to get answer. or fm. The longest of many units derived from an anatomical measurement, the fathom originated as the distance from the middle fingertip of one hand to the middle fingertip of the other hand of a large man holding his arms fully extended. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Dubious, but I bet you do enjoy the really great movies. In the metric system, one fathom is equal to 6 feet. 7 decimals Chain Nanometre (nm) Do you ever think i'll meet Jessie mACARTNY? By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In case you’re wondering, a log line is the rope (landlubbers call it that, we sailors call the stuff line) used to tow the log (yep, piece of wood) behind the ship back in the old days. A fathom is a unit of length equal to 6 feet. Was Greta Van Susteren a defense attorney in the OJ Simpson case? Who doesn't love being #1? Was working on that project the impetus for starting the Astorino subsidiary company called fathom? Mil (mil) How long is a Fathom? If the error does not fit your need, you should use the decimal value and possibly increase the number of significant figures. How do knot, league, and fathom translate into the standard miles, feet, yards, etc.? All Rights Reserved. 2 decimals A foot is a unit of length equal to exactly 12 inches or 0.3048 meters. Fathom — six feet or approximately 183 centimeters. My personal favorite is “The Enemy Below.” Just ask my old schedules officer, LT Byrne, about that. Please, if you find any issues in this calculator, or if you have any suggestions, please contact us. Micrometre (µm) In Middle English it was fathme. Our latest podcast episode features popular TED speaker Mara Mintzer. fathom definition: 1. a unit for measuring the depth of water, equal to 1.8 metres or 6 feet 2. to discover the…. 0 decimals To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. To use this converter, just choose a unit to convert from, a unit to convert to, then type the value you want to convert. Metric Centimetre (cm) Light minute In the metric system, one fathom is equal to 6 feet. Inch (in) A nautical chart will always explicitly indicate the units of depth used. Link Hand As readers of Ivanhoe and other romantic tales know, the league was once used to measure distances on land and is not strictly a nautical measure. Astronomical 9 decimals Send questions to Cecil via cecil@straightdope.com. A clean and minimal question and answer theme for WordPress and AnsPress. Where do you find the young and the restless online from Canada? The longest of many units derived from an anatomical measurement, the fathom originated as the distance from the middle fingertip of one hand to the middle fingertip A fathom is also equal to 1.8288 meters. This converter accepts decimal, integer and fractional values as input, so you can input values like: 1, 4, 0.5, 1.9, 1/2, 3 1/2, etc. League Mil (mil) Furlong Type the number of Fathom you want to convert in the text box, to see the results in the table. Note that to enter a mixed number like 1 1/2, you show leave a space between the integer and the fraction. Millimetre (mm) Metre (m) The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. Fathom, old English measure of length, now standardized at 6 feet (1.83 metre), which has long been used as a nautical unit of depth. Be the first to answer this question. A fathom is a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units). British/American newsletter. Metric Light second What do the measures knot, fathom, and league mean? fathom synonyms, fathom pronunciation, fathom translation, English dictionary definition of fathom. Chain It’s just happy coincidence that this distance is approximately the same as a “regular” mile (hey, 15% isn’t too far off when you’re talking about the ocean). Fathom Nautical mile Copyright © 2020 Multiply Media, LLC. When did organ music become associated with baseball? Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Nanometre (nm) Comes from Middle English fathme which itself comes from Old English faedm [the a and e are one letter and the d has that cross over it] meaning “outstretched arms.” Kind of reminds you of how a yard is about the distance from the nose to the tip of the arm, huh? Luckily a few copies had filtered down to the ranks by the time I enlisted. Micrometre (µm) Millimetre (mm)