Meters to Inches Converter
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Meter

Definition: A meter, or metre (symbol: m), serves as the fundamental unit of length and distance within the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second. This definition underwent a slight modification in 2019 to align with an updated understanding of the second.

History/origin: Initially established in 1793, the meter was defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. This definition evolved in 1889 when the International prototype metre was introduced, represented by a prototype meter bar (composed of 90% platinum and 10% iridium) measured at the melting point of ice. In 1960, the meter was redefined once more, this time based on a specific number of wavelengths from a particular emission line of krypton-86. The current meter definition is effectively consistent with the one adopted in 1983, with minor adjustments reflecting the new definition of the second.

Current use: As the SI unit of length, the meter is utilized globally across various fields for measuring distance, height, length, width, and more. The United States stands out as a notable exception, primarily using US customary units like yards, inches, feet, and miles instead of meters for everyday measurements.

Inch

Definition: An inch (symbol: in) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. An inch was defined to be equivalent to exactly 25.4 millimeters in 1959. There are 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard.

History/origin: The term "inch" was derived from the Latin unit "uncia" which equated to "one-twelfth" of a Roman foot.

There have been a number of different standards for the inch in the past, with the current definition being based on the international yard. One of the earliest definitions of the inch was based on barleycorns, where an inch was equal to the length of three grains of dry, round barley placed end-to-end. Another version of the inch is also believed to have been derived from the width of a human thumb, where the length was obtained from averaging the width of three thumbs: a small, a medium, and a large one.

Current use: The inch is mostly used in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It is also sometimes used in Japan (as well as other countries) in relation to electronic parts, like the size of display screens.

How to Convert Meter to Inch

1 m = 39.3700787402 in
1 in = 0.0254 m

Example: convert 15 m to in:
15 m = 15 × 39.3700787402 in = 590.5511811024 in