Despite the universal desire of countries 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 introduces an ordinary person into a stupor. This article is intended to help everyone who is experiencing problems with the imperial system. So, how many kilometers are there in the 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. It is used mainly in English-speaking countries and former British colonies. At one time, even the Russian Empire almost completely switched to a similar system.
The simple question of “how many kilometers in one mile” is rather difficult to answer. Why? Because the meaning will vary in some countries and regions. It is logical to assume that the reader is interested in the standard mile, but there are also difficulties: there is both a land mile and a sea mile. Confusing them is not recommended, because for every 10 “wrong” miles you will get 2 kilometers of difference - an unacceptable error even for everyday calculations.
First of all, let’s figure out how many kilometers in the nautical mile - exactly 1852 meters. This has not always been the case. But we are only interested in contemporary significance. Oddly enough,
nautical miles are also used in aviation. These miles are designated "NM", in contrast to the land - "M".
Now it remains to find out how many kilometers are in one mile. As you noticed, the definition of "land" is omitted, because if the definition is not mentioned, then by default it is considered that the measurement is carried out in standard British-American miles. Such a mile equals 1609 meters (with a small error).
When calculating offhand, you can simply multiply the number of miles by 1.5 - this is easier to calculate verbally, but the accuracy of this 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 are in one mile”, people using the imperial system experience similar helplessness with meters. It all depends on what kind of system a person is used to using. Fortunately, in all complex devices and documents, two scales are provided for the convenience of users from different countries. In other cases, you 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 still need to remember the exact value when you need it. Therefore, it does not hurt to practice a little in the transfer from one system to another.
For at least a week, make it a rule to convert all kilometers to miles, wherever you come across the mention of length. You will see that in a couple of days you will begin to carry out such calculations without thinking.