Metric Distance Measurements
If the metric system gives you a headache, here are a few tips to help you out.
|
The Truth (to within 3 or 4 significant digits) |
What you can remember (You'll be about 10% too short.) |
||
|
1 meter
|
= 3.280 feet = 1.094 yards |
1 meter
|
~= 3 feet ~= 1 yard |
|
100 m
|
= 109 yards |
100 m
|
~= 100 yards ~= length of a football field |
|
1000 m
|
= 1 kilometer = 1 km = 0.621 miles ~= 5/8 mile |
1000 m
|
~= 1/2 mile |
UTM, MGRS, and USNG coordinates give us locations that represent a square on the ground. The square could be as small as 1 meter on a side, or as big as 1,000 meters on a side.
Here are some rough equivalents for some metric squares:
| 1 meter square | Two doormats side by side |
| 10 meter square | Four parking places |
| 100 meter square | Two football fields side by side |
| 1,000 meter square | A city block |