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Digit (digit) - Unit Information & Conversion

Symbol:digit
Plural:digits
Category:Length

What is a Digit?

Definition

The Digit, also known as the finger or fingerbreadth, is an ancient, anthropomorphic unit of length, originally based on the breadth (width) of a human adult finger (typically the index finger). As a body-based unit, its value varied significantly depending on the person, time period, and culture.

Historically, it was often considered to be approximately 3/4 of an inch or about 1.9 centimeters (cm). In many systems, it formed a subdivision of larger units like the palm, span, or cubit. For example, it was common for:

  • 4 digits = 1 palm
  • 12 digits = 1 span (sometimes)
  • 24 or 28 digits = 1 cubit (depending on the cubit definition)

History

The digit is one of the oldest known units of measurement, used by ancient civilizations including the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, and later across Europe. Its convenience stemmed from the ready availability of the human hand for estimation.

  • Ancient Egypt: The digit (djeba) was a fundamental unit, with 28 digits forming the Royal Cubit.
  • Ancient Rome: The Roman digit (digitus) was defined as 1/16 of a Roman foot, approximately 1.85 cm. Four digiti made a palmus (palm).
  • Medieval England: The digit was often reckoned as 3/4 of an inch, derived from the barleycorn (3 barleycorns = 1 inch, 4 digits = 3 inches).

Due to its inherent variability and the rise of more standardized systems based on physical prototypes (like the yard or meter), the digit gradually fell out of practical use for trade and science, becoming largely obsolete by the early modern period.

Common Uses

The digit is now obsolete for practical measurement but is encountered in:

  • Historical Texts: Found in ancient and medieval documents describing dimensions of objects, buildings, or anatomical measurements.
  • Archaeology & Anthropology: Used when interpreting historical measurements or comparing ancient systems.
  • Figurative Language: Occasionally used informally to mean a very small distance ("just a digit more").
  • Understanding Historical Units: Key to understanding the structure of ancient measurement systems (e.g., relationship to palm, cubit).

Unit FAQs

How long is a digit?

There is no single, precise value for the digit because it was based on human anatomy and varied by system. Common historical approximations include:

  • Approximately 0.75 inches (in)
  • Approximately 1.85 to 1.9 centimeters (cm)
  • Often defined as 1/4 of a palm or 1/16 of a foot within specific historical systems.

What is the relation between a digit and a palm?

In many historical systems (like the Roman and often the English), 4 digits were considered equal to 1 palm (the width of the hand across the base of the fingers).

What is the relation between a digit and a cubit?

The relationship varied. For example:

  • The Egyptian Royal Cubit contained 28 digits.
  • The common Greek and Roman cubits often contained 24 digits.

Is the digit an SI unit?

No, the digit is not an SI unit. It is an ancient, non-standardized, anthropomorphic unit. The corresponding SI unit for length is the meter (m).

Is the digit still used today?

No, the digit is not used for any standard or practical measurements today. Its use is confined to historical study, interpretation of old texts, and occasional figurative speech.

Where does the name 'digit' come from?

The name comes from the Latin word digitus, which means "finger" or "toe". This reflects the unit's origin based on the width of a human finger.

Digit Conversion Formulas

To Meter:

1 digit = 0.01905 m
Example: 5 digits = 0.09525 meters

To Kilometer:

1 digit = 0.000019 km
Example: 5 digits = 0.000095 kilometers

To Hectometer:

1 digit = 0.000191 hm
Example: 5 digits = 0.000953 hectometers

To Decimeter:

1 digit = 0.1905 dm
Example: 5 digits = 0.9525 decimeters

To Centimeter:

1 digit = 1.905 cm
Example: 5 digits = 9.525 centimeters

To Millimeter:

1 digit = 19.05 mm
Example: 5 digits = 95.25 millimeters

To Inch:

1 digit = 0.75 in
Example: 5 digits = 3.75 inches

To Foot:

1 digit = 0.0625 ft
Example: 5 digits = 0.3125 feet

To Yard:

1 digit = 0.020833 yd
Example: 5 digits = 0.104167 yards

To Mile:

1 digit = 0.000012 mi
Example: 5 digits = 0.000059 miles

To Nautical Mile:

1 digit = 0.00001 NM
Example: 5 digits = 0.000051 nautical miles

To Micrometer:

1 digit = 19050 μm
Example: 5 digits = 95250 micrometers

To Nanometer:

1 digit = 19050000 nm
Example: 5 digits = 95250000 nanometers

To Light Year:

1 digit = 2.0135e-18 ly
Example: 5 digits = 1.0068e-17 light years

To Astronomical Unit:

1 digit = 1.2734e-13 AU
Example: 5 digits = 6.3670e-13 astronomical units

To Parsec:

1 digit = 6.1736e-19 pc
Example: 5 digits = 3.0868e-18 parsecs

To Angstrom:

1 digit = 190500000 Å
Example: 5 digits = 952500000 angstroms

To Point (Typography):

1 digit = 53.999966 pt
Example: 5 digits = 269.99983 points

To Mil/Thou:

1 digit = 750 mil
Example: 5 digits = 3750 mils

To Fathom:

1 digit = 0.010417 fath
Example: 5 digits = 0.052083 fathoms

To Furlong:

1 digit = 0.000095 fur
Example: 5 digits = 0.000473 furlongs

To Link (Gunter's):

1 digit = 0.094697 li
Example: 5 digits = 0.473485 links

To Pace:

1 digit = 0.025 pace
Example: 5 digits = 0.125 paces

To Span:

1 digit = 0.083333 span
Example: 5 digits = 0.416667 spans

To Cable Length:

1 digit = 0.000103 cb
Example: 5 digits = 0.000514 cable lengths

To Ell:

1 digit = 0.016667 ell
Example: 5 digits = 0.083333 ells

To Finger:

1 digit = 0.166667 finger
Example: 5 digits = 0.833333 fingers

To Roman Mile:

1 digit = 0.000013 m.p.
Example: 5 digits = 0.000064 Roman miles

To Stadion:

1 digit = 0.000103 stadion
Example: 5 digits = 0.000515 stadia

To Chi (Chinese):

1 digit = 0.057156 chi
Example: 5 digits = 0.285779 chi

To Shaku (Japanese):

1 digit = 0.062871 shaku
Example: 5 digits = 0.314356 shaku

To Li (Chinese):

1 digit = 0.000038 li
Example: 5 digits = 0.00019 li

To Toise:

1 digit = 0.009774 toise
Example: 5 digits = 0.048871 toise

To Bolt:

1 digit = 0.000625 bolt
Example: 5 digits = 0.003125 bolts

To Rope:

1 digit = 0.003125 rope
Example: 5 digits = 0.015625 ropes

To Smoot:

1 digit = 0.011194 smoot
Example: 5 digits = 0.05597 smoots

To Sajene:

1 digit = 0.008929 sajene
Example: 5 digits = 0.044643 sajenes

To Ken:

1 digit = 0.010479 ken
Example: 5 digits = 0.052393 ken

To Wa:

1 digit = 0.009525 wa
Example: 5 digits = 0.047625 wa

To Vara:

1 digit = 0.022727 vara
Example: 5 digits = 0.113636 varas

To Aln:

1 digit = 0.032071 aln
Example: 5 digits = 0.160354 alnar

To Cubit (Royal/Egyptian):

1 digit = 0.036424 cubit
Example: 5 digits = 0.182122 cubits

To Versta:

1 digit = 0.000018 versta
Example: 5 digits = 0.000089 versts

To Arpent:

1 digit = 0.000326 arpent
Example: 5 digits = 0.001629 arpents

To Ri (Japanese):

1 digit = 0.000005 ri
Example: 5 digits = 0.000024 ri

To Klafter:

1 digit = 0.010045 klafter
Example: 5 digits = 0.050224 klafter

To Yojana:

1 digit = 0.000001 yojana
Example: 5 digits = 0.000007 yojanas

To Skein:

1 digit = 0.000174 skein
Example: 5 digits = 0.000868 skeins

Convert Digit

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Digit Quick Info

digit
Symbol:digit
Category:Length
System:Various
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