Definition of a Linear Meter

The Convention of the Metre is an international treaty that grants the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) authority to establish a worldwide standard of measurement. In the resulting International System of Units (SI), the meter is the base unit of length and is defined as the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458ths of a second. The meter is abbreviated with the letter "m."

Platinum-Iridium Standard

In 1889, the prototype of a meter was established as the length of a platinum-iridium rod still maintained in France under controlled conditions.

Current Definition

The current definition of a meter was established in 1983 at the 17th Conference Generale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM).

Speed of Light

The speed of light in a vacuum is defined as 299,792,458 meters per second. The speed of light in a vacuum is the current reference standard for the meter.

Prefixes

Lengths greater and smaller than the meter are abbreviated using prefixes established for all multiples and submultiples of the metric system's base units. Common prefixes include kilo- (1000), centi- (1/100th), and milli (1/1000th).

Meter-Foot Conversion

Although SI is the international standard for measuring length, the foot is still commonly used in the United States. This requires converting measurements made in feet to meters. One meter is equal to 3.048 feet. To convert feet to meters, simply multiply the number of meters by 3.048 feet per meter.

References

• Bureau International des Poids et Mesures: BIPM Unit of Length (metre)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology: Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty
• NIST Guide to the SI

Resources

• BIPM: The International System of Units (SI)