Kilometre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| SI units | |
|---|---|
| 1000 m | 1×106 mm |
| US customary / Imperial units | |
| 0.6214 mi | 3,281 ft |
The kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol km[1] is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres.
Slang terms for kilometre include click (sometimes spelled klick or klik) and kay (or k).[2]
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[edit] Pronunciation
There are two different pronunciations for the word:
- /ˈkɪl.əˌmiː.tə(r)/ and
- /kɪˈlɒm.ə.tə(r)/.
The former pronunciation follows the general pattern in English whereby metric units of measurement are pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, and preserves the correct pronunciation of metre. However, the latter pronunciation; which follows the stress pattern used for the names of measuring instruments (such as micrometer, barometer, thermometer, tachometer and speedometer); is in common usage. Kingsley Amis has suggested that this pronunciation (and the American spelling) be reserved for the thousand-measurer, the wall which Herodotus says Xerxes built around a thousand troops so he could count his army.[3]
[edit] Equivalence to other units of length
| 1 kilometre | = 1,000 metres |
| ≈ 0.621 statute miles[4] | |
| ≈ 1,094 yards[5] | |
| ≈ 3,281 feet[6] | |
| ≈ 0.540 nautical miles[7] | |
| ≈ 6.68×10−9 astronomical units[8] | |
| ≈ 1.057×10−13 light-years[9] | |
| ≈ 3.24×10−14 parsecs |
[edit] International usage
The United Kingdom and the United States are the only two developed countries which continue to use miles on road signs.[citation needed]
Although the UK has officially adopted the metric system, there is no intention to replace the mile on road signs in the near future, owing to the British public's attachment to traditional imperial units of distance, i.e., miles, yards and inches, and the cost of changing speed signs (which could not be replaced during general maintenance, like distance signs, for safety reasons).[10][11] As of 11 September 2007, the EU has not challenged Britain's use of the imperial systems. EU commissioner Günter Verheugen said: "There is not now and never will be any requirement to drop imperial measurements."[12]
In the US, the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 prohibits the use of federal-aid highway funds to convert existing signs or purchase new signs with metric units.[13] However, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices since 2000 published in both metric and American Customary Units. (See also Metrication in the United States.)
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ For the purposes of compatibility with Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters there is a Unicode symbol for the kilometre, ㎞, (code 339E).
- ^ These non-standard terms can also refer to kilometres per hour.
- ^ The King's English: "Kilometre"; Herodotus 7, 60
- ^ One international statute mile is exactly 1.609344 kilometres.
the rule-of-thumb "multiply by 8 and divide by 5" gives a conversion of 1.6, which is approximately 0.6% too low. - ^ One international yard is exactly 0.0009144 kilometres.
- ^ One international foot is exactly 0.0003048 kilometres.
- ^ One nautical mile is equal to 1.852 kilometres.
- ^ One astronomical unit is currently accepted to be equal to 149,597,870,691 ± 30 metres.
- ^ A light-year is equal to 9,460,730,472,580.8 kilometres, the distance light travels through vacuum in one Julian year of 365.25 days.
- ^ Andrew Clark (2006-02-23). "Campaign for £80m switch to kilometres", The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Call for metric road sign switch", BBC News Online, BBC (2006-02-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ "EU gives up on 'metric Britain'", BBC News Online, BBC (2007-09-11). Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- ^ "50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System - Frequently Asked Questions". US Department of Transport. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
[edit] See also
- Conversion of units, for comparison with other units of length
- Cubic kilometre
- Orders of magnitude (length)
- SI prefix
- Square kilometre
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