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Quick math and height question

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:44 am
by CM
Either i have become really bad at maths in the last 4 years or something is very wrong.

Anyway i wanted to know how much 6 feet is in centimeters.

I know 1 cm is equal to 2.54 inches.
And there are 12 inches in a foot.
So 1 foot equals - 12 times 2.54 which is 30.48.

That means 6 feet equals to 30.48 times 6.
Which is = 182.88

But for some stupid reason people keep telling me 2 meters is equal to 6 feet when the above maths shows it isn't.
So what do you math wizards say?
Do i have the cm to inch ration wrong or something?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:53 am
by HighLordDave
It's because Americans hate the metric system. We say that one yard (3 feet or 36 inches) is about equal to one meter, when in fact it is about 91.44 cm. So when someone says that two yards (six feet) is equal to two meters, they're in fact off by about six inches (~18 cm).

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:55 am
by CM
Thanks HLD!
That clears up things for sure.

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 7:56 am
by T'lainya
Your math is right CM. A lot of times it's easier to remember the old Schoolhouse Rock(a series of short educational cartoons from a long time ago) that "a meter's just a little bit more than a yard". (A yard is 3 feet or 36 inches.) The math is easier than most people trying to remember the exact conversion or do math in their heads. :)
Whoops HLD ya beat me to it :D

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2002 9:42 pm
by nael
CM, you are off. one cm is not equal to 2.54 inches, i have no idea where you got that. the opposite is closer to being true, i thought it was more like 2.2 cm to an inch, but it might be 2.54.
so, 2.5 times 12 = 30
30 * 6 = 180
180 cm to 6 feet, 1.8 meters to six feet

that is approximate, but there you go.

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 12:18 am
by CM
Ok thanks nael and T. So it is not 2 meters. Yeah i was right. Now to rub it in their faces! :D :D

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2002 4:17 am
by nael
6 feet is not exactly 2 meters, but it is close