How to convert km to m in Physics

Please provide values below to convert kilometer [km] to meter [m], or vice versa.

Kilometer

Definition: A kilometer (symbol: km) is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). One kilometer is equivalent to 0.6214 miles.

History/origin: The prefix kilo- is a metric prefix indicating one thousand. One kilometer is therefore one thousand meters. The origin of the kilometer is linked to that of the meter, and its current definition as the distance traveled by light in 1/299 792 458 second. This definition is subject to change, but the relationship between the meter and the kilometer will remain constant.

Current use: It is currently the official unit of measurement for expressing distances between geographical places on land in most of the world. However, there still remain a number of countries that primarily use the mile instead of the kilometer including the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). Unlike the United States, the UK has adopted the metric system; while the metric system is widely used in government, commerce, and industry, remnants of the imperial system can still be seen in the UK's use of miles in its road systems.

Meter

Definition: A meter, or metre (symbol: m), is the base unit of length and distance in the International System of Units (SI). The meter is defined as the distance traveled by light in 1/299 792 458 of a second. This definition was slightly modified in 2019 to reflect changes in the definition of the second.

History/origin: Originally, in 1793, the meter was defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. This changed in 1889, when the International prototype metre was established as the length of a prototype meter bar (made of an alloy of 90% platinum and 10% iridium) measured at the melting point of ice. In 1960, the meter was again redefined, this time in terms of a certain number of wavelengths of a certain emission line of krypton-86. The current definition of the meter is effectively the same as the definition that was adopted in 1983, with slight modifications due to the change in definition of the second.

Current use: Being the SI unit of length, the meter is used worldwide in many applications such as measuring distance, height, length, width, etc. The United States is one notable exception in that it largely uses US customary units such as yards, inches, feet, and miles instead of meters in everyday use.

Kilometer to Meter Conversion Table

How to Convert Kilometer to Meter

1 km = 1000 m
1 m = 0.001 km

Example: convert 15 km to m:
15 km = 15 × 1000 m = 15000 m

Popular Length Unit Conversions

Convert Kilometer to Other Length Units

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A mile is an imperial unit of measurement commonly used in the United States to determine the distance between two locations. A kilometer is used to measure the same thing but is a metric unit of length. It’s a fairly easy mathematical equation to convert kilometers to miles, or vice versa.

Kilometers to Miles Converter

1. 1

   Master the formula for converting kilometers to miles. 1 kilometer is equal to 0.621371 miles (often shortened to .62).[1]1 mile is equal to 1.609344 kilometers.

   • Thus, to convert kilometers to miles, simply multiply the number of kilometers by 0.62137.[2]
   • For example, let's say you start with 5 kilometers. People are often interested in this conversion because they want to know how many miles are in a 5K run. The formula is 5 X 0.62137= 3.1 miles.
   • You could also divide the number of kilometers by the number of kilometers per mile, which is the above-mentioned 1.609 kilometers (rounded off for simplicity). For example, 5 kilometers divided by 1.609 kilometers per mile = 3.1 miles.[3]

2. 2

   Convert kilometers to nautical miles. Regular miles are a land-based unit of measurement. However, perhaps you want to know the conversion for nautical miles instead.

   • The conversion for nautical miles is different: Every kilometer is = to 0.5399568035 nautical miles.
   • Nautical miles are based on the earth's circumference and is used for air and sea travel.

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1. 1

   Use a conversion chart or online calculator. The charts list the number of kilometers alongside the equivalent miles. The calculators allow you to plug in the number of kilometers to get the number of miles. [4]

   • For example, a chart would show that 11 kilometers is equal to 6.84 miles. However, 11 miles is equal to 17.7 kilometers.
   • If you know how to use Microsoft Excel, you could also use an Excel formula to do the conversion. To convert kilometers to miles in Excel, the formula is CONVERT(x,"y","z"). In the formula, "y" is the original unit of measurement, "x" is the quantity of that unit, and "z" is the unit of measurement you want to convert to.

1. 1

   Use an old trick to do the calculation. It’s too hard for most people to multiply any number by 0.62137119. There is a way you can do the calculation in your head.

   • Let’s say the number of kilometers is 144. Halve it. That gets you 72. Then take a quarter of the half. That’s 18.
   • Now, add the two together, the half and the quarter: 72 plus 18 in this case. You get 90. That’s the answer.[5]

2. 2

   Use Fibonacci numbers to do the conversion. This one's unusual, but it works. These numbers are a series of numbers in which each subsequent number is the sum of the two before.[6]

   • Start with two consecutive Fibonacci numbers. For example, the numbers 5 and 8. There are 8 kilometers in 5 miles. To convert back, read the result in the other direction, as there are 5 miles in 8 km.
   • This works as an estimate only. For example, take the consecutive Fibonacci numbers 21 and 34. This would tell you there are 34 kilometers in 21 miles and vice versa, when the exact answer is 33.79 kilometers.
   • In order to convert a number that isn't a Fibonacci number, express the original number as a sum of Fibonacci numbers and do the conversion for each Fibonacci number separately. Say you want to convert 100 miles to kilometers. Number 100 could be a sum of Fibonacci numbers 89 + 8 + 3. The Fibonacci number following 89 is 144, the Fibonacci number following 8 is 13 and Fibonacci number following 3 is 5. So add 144 + 13 + 5 = 162 kilometers in 100 miles.

3. 3

   Find other conversions for kilometers. Perhaps you don't want to stop with miles. There are many other conversions for kilometers.

   • Every kilometer is equal to 39,370.07874 inches, 3,280.839895 feet,1,093.613298 yards, and 100,000 centimeters.
   • Every kilometer is equal to 1,000 meters.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Where are miles used?

  Only in the United Kingdom and United States. The rest of the world uses kilometers.

• Question

  How many miles in are 108 kilometers?

  (108 km)(0.621371 mi/km) = 67.108 miles.

• Question

  Why is it that it is only USA and UK that do make use of miles instead of kilometers?

  Many centuries ago the Roman Empire introduced the mile into the UK, and they've simply stuck with it. From its beginning, the US adopted the British mile.

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Article SummaryX

To convert kilometers to miles, multiply the number of kilometers by 0.621371. To get an approximation, you can shorten the number to 0.62. To convert kilometers to nautical miles, multiply the number of kilometers by 0.5399568035. If you want to learn how to estimate your conversion to make it simpler, keep reading the article!

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