Centimeters to Inches Converter

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Centimeter

What is the centimeter?

The centimeter is a unit of length in the SI unit system. It is used to measure the lengths of smaller objects or small distances. The centimeter is a smaller unit of meter that values one-hundredth of a meter. The centimeter is symbolized as cm.

History of the centimeter

The roots of the centimeter lie in the French metric system, defined in the late 18th century. The word centimeter was taken from the combinations of the Latin word “centum”, meaning a hundred, and the French word “mètre”, meaning meter. It does not mean a hundred meters equals one centimeter, but it means exactly the opposite, that is, a centimeter is one-hundredth of a meter. The centimeter was the base unit in the now-deprecated CGS (Centimeter-Gram-Second) unit system, which was based on the metric system.

How long is a centimeter?

Compared to inches, a centimeter is approximately 0.3937 inches long. However, by looking at some day-to-day objects around us, we can get an idea of how long a centimeter is.

For example,

• The width of a fingernail is about one cm.
• A small marble's diameter is about one cm.
• Some small capsule pills have a length of one cm.

Measurements that use the centimeter as the unit of length

Several standard measurements use the centimeter as their unit.

• Height Measurement Height is frequently measured in centimeters, especially in countries that have adopted the metric system.
• Furniture DimensionsFurniture dimensions such as table height and width, chair seat height, sofa length, etc. are usually measured in centimeters.
• Clothing SizesTailors and garment manufacturers measure body dimensions in centimeters.
• Electronics and Gadgets The dimensions of small electronics, like the screen size of phones and tablets, are often specified in centimeters.
• A4 Paper Size In some countries, paper sizes are measured in centimeters. For example, A4-sized paper is 21 cm by 29.7 cm.
• JewelryNeckless lengths, bracelet sizes, and ring diameters can be measured in centimeters.
• Books Dimensions The dimensions of books, particularly their height and width, are often given in centimeters.
• Photographs The sizes of printed photographs can be measured in centimeters, such as a standard 10 cm by 15 cm print.

Standard measurement sizes in centimeters

• A4 PaperA standard sheet of A4 paper measures 21 x 29.7 cm.
• PhotographsStandard photo sizes, such as 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 inches), 13 x 18 cm (5 x 7 inches), etc.
• Business Cards A typical business card measures 8.9 x 5.1 cm.
• CD and DVD CasesStandard cases for CDs and DVDs are about 19 x 13.5 x 1.4 cm (length x width x thickness).
• PostcardsStandard postcard sizes are often around 14.8 x 10.5 cm.
• Envelope standard envelope sizes, like the DL envelope, which is 11 x 22 cm.
• Lego BrickThe standard 2 x 4 Lego brick measures 3.2 x 1.6 x 1.1 cm.
• Standard Brick The standard size of brick used in construction is usually 9.2 x 5.7 x 19.4 cm (width x height x length).
• Passport PhotoThe standard size for a passport photo in the USA and India is 5.1 x 5.1 cm, 3.5 x 4.5 cm in the UK, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Nigeria, and many other countries, 5 x 7 cm in Canada, and 3.3 x 4.8 cm in China.

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Inch

What is the inch?

The inch is a unit of length in the British Imperial System and the United States Customary Units system. It values 1‾12 of a foot. The SI equivalent value of an inch is 2.54 centimeters or 0.0254 meters. Like centimeters, it is also used to measure the lengths of small objects or small distances, mainly in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Where did the modern inch come from?

The unit inch was borrowed from the Roman unit uncia. Uncia is a Latin word meaning one-twelfth. A Roman uncia or Roman inch was equal to 1‾12 of a Roman foot.

Common applications of the inch

Some widely used applications of inches include the electronics and the automotive industry. In the electronics industry, display screens are measured in inches worldwide. In Japan, electronic parts are officially measured in inches. In the automotive industry, the diameter of vehicle wheel rims and the inner diameter of tires in tire codes are commonly measured in inches.

Technical information about the inch

The inch is symbolized as in, but in practice, it is also denoted by double quotes ". Unlike SI units, which are divided into the units of tens, an inch is divided into quarters, eights, and sixteens. That is, dyadic fractions are used to express portions of an inch. For example, four and five-eighths of an inch are written as 4 5‾8" instead of 4.625", and 0.25 inch is written as 1‾4". In engineering applications, inches are typically written in decimal format with three to four decimal places.

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Frequently Asked Questions