If you are wondering how many feet equal a mile, then you have come to the right article. In this ScienceStruck write-up, we provide you with a calculator that can convert the quintessential mile to yards, feet, and inches, and also provide you with interesting information on the history of the mile, and how it has been calculated over the ages.
Did You Know?
Before the distance of a mile was standardized, almost every country had their own measurement of the mile. Thus, the Scandinavian mile, which incidentally is still in use today, measured 10,000 meters!
Though we learn the metric conversion system in school, we tend to forget it as we grow older, for the simple reason that we never need to use it. However, at some point of time, it becomes important to know some basic conversions, and miles to feet is one of them.
A mile is a common unit of measurement for distance, and is used wherever distance has to be measured. Because some countries still follow the Imperial System of measurement, we, at times, need to convert miles in to other units of measurement. The most popular, of course, is converting to kilometers, when you want to convert something like MPH (miles per hour) to KMPH (kilometers per hour). Other popular units of conversion include feet, yards, and inches.
Given below are 3 converters that will convert the quintessential mile to feet, inches, and yards. You can enter the number of miles in the first box, and the result will display in the second box.
| Miles to Feet |
| Miles |
| Feet |
| Miles to Inches |
| Miles |
| Inches |
| Miles to Yards |
| Miles |
| Yards |
Long, long ago, when the Romans ruled over British lands, they used a measurement scale that was known as the ‘mille passuum’, which meant nothing but a thousand paces. This was measured by soldiers marching a thousand paces, or 5000 Roman feet. By conventional standards, this measures out to be about 1,479 meters, or about 1,617 yards, and is today known as the Roman Mile. This unit of measurement was used by the entire Roman Empire, who even changed the local systems of measurement to adhere to this.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the British came up with their own system of measurement. In their system, they used a ‘furlong’, which was the distance a horse could travel pulling a plow before stopping for rest, to measure distances. 1 furlong was equal to about 660 feet, making the mile 8 furlongs.
These and other similar methods led to a varied measurement of the mile. This was solved, to some extent, with the adoption of the international yard and pound measurements, which were agreed upon by 6 countries, which included the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In this agreement, 1 yard was exactly 0.9144 meters. With this agreed unit of measurement, the mile came to be 1,609.344 meters, and was known as the ‘International Mile’. There were exactly 1760 yards in a mile using this system. While the US follows the International Mile, they also use the US Survey Mile or the Statute Mile, which measures 1,609.347219 meters, or about 3.2 mm longer than the International Mile.
The statute mile, so termed as it was defined by an English Act of Parliament, is another measurement of the mile. The statute, which was during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, states: “A Mile shall contain eight Furlongs, every Furlong forty Poles, and every Pole shall contain sixteen Foot and an half.” (35 Eliz. Cap. 6.). This also works out to be about 1760 yards, 5280 feet, or 1609 meters.
Besides these, there is the Metric Mile, which is used in sporting events where distance is to be measured, like track and field events. 1 Metric Mile is equal to 1500 meters. The Nautical Mile is a measurement used in sea and air travel, and is defined as ‘one minute of arc measured along any meridian’. 1 International Nautical Mile is measured at exactly 1,852 meters or 6,076.12 feet.
At various times in history, there have been various measurements of the mile. Today, most countries have moved from the Imperial System of measurement to the International System of Units of measurement. However, the mile is still an important unit of measurement, and at times, it is important to know how many feet equal a mile.