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Hectometer (hm) - Unit Information & Conversion

Symbol:hm
Plural:hectometers
Category:Length

What is a Hectometer?

Definition

The hectometer (symbol: hm) is a unit of length in the metric system. It is defined as exactly one hundred (100) meters, which is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, 1 kilometer equals 10 hectometers.

History

The hectometer originates from the French Revolution era, alongside the development of the metric system in the 1790s. The system aimed for rational, decimal-based units derived from the meter. The prefix "hecto-" (derived from Greek "hekaton" meaning hundred) signifies a factor of one hundred (10²). While the meter and kilometer became the more common standards for many applications, the hectometer was defined as part of the systematic decimal structure of the metric system.

Common Uses

The hectometer is not frequently used in everyday language or general measurements compared to meters or kilometers. However, it finds niche applications in specific fields:

  • Agriculture and Forestry: Sometimes used for measuring land parcel dimensions or distances in large fields or forests where measurements are typically in the hundreds of meters.
  • Surveying: Can be used in land surveying, particularly in contexts where metric units are standard but kilometers are too large and meters too small for convenient expression of certain distances.
  • Meteorology: While not a length unit, the related unit hectopascal (hPa), using the same prefix, is the standard international unit for atmospheric pressure.
  • Radio Astronomy: Certain radio wavelengths might be expressed in hectometers.
  • Education: Useful in teaching the metric system to illustrate the powers of 10 and the relationship between different metric length units (1 km = 10 hm = 100 dam = 1000 m).

Unit FAQs

How many hectometers are in a kilometer?

There are exactly 10 hectometers in 1 kilometer.

How many meters are in a hectometer?

There are exactly 100 meters in 1 hectometer.

How many decameters are in a hectometer?

There are exactly 10 decameters (dam) in 1 hectometer.

How do you convert hectometers to miles?

To convert hectometers to miles, multiply the number of hectometers by approximately 0.0621371. For example, 5 hm is about 5 * 0.0621371 = 0.3106855 miles.

Is the hectometer commonly used?

No, the hectometer is one of the less commonly used metric units in everyday practice. Meters and kilometers are generally preferred for most practical distance measurements.

Why isn't the hectometer used more often?

For many everyday distances (room sizes, building heights), meters provide a convenient scale. For longer distances (travel, road signs), kilometers are more practical. The hectometer often represents an intermediate scale (100 meters, roughly the length of a football field) that doesn't align as frequently with common measurement needs as meters or kilometers do.

Hectometer Conversion Formulas

To Meter:

1 hm = 100 m
Example: 5 hectometers = 500 meters

To Kilometer:

1 hm = 0.1 km
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.5 kilometers

To Decimeter:

1 hm = 1000 dm
Example: 5 hectometers = 5000 decimeters

To Centimeter:

1 hm = 10000 cm
Example: 5 hectometers = 50000 centimeters

To Millimeter:

1 hm = 100000 mm
Example: 5 hectometers = 500000 millimeters

To Inch:

1 hm = 3937.007874 in
Example: 5 hectometers = 19685.03937 inches

To Foot:

1 hm = 328.08399 ft
Example: 5 hectometers = 1640.419948 feet

To Yard:

1 hm = 109.36133 yd
Example: 5 hectometers = 546.806649 yards

To Mile:

1 hm = 0.062137 mi
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.310686 miles

To Nautical Mile:

1 hm = 0.053996 NM
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.269978 nautical miles

To Micrometer:

1 hm = 100000000 μm
Example: 5 hectometers = 500000000 micrometers

To Nanometer:

1 hm = 100000000000 nm
Example: 5 hectometers = 499999999999.99994 nanometers

To Light Year:

1 hm = 1.0570e-14 ly
Example: 5 hectometers = 5.2849e-14 light years

To Astronomical Unit:

1 hm = 6.6845e-10 AU
Example: 5 hectometers = 3.3422e-9 astronomical units

To Parsec:

1 hm = 3.2408e-15 pc
Example: 5 hectometers = 1.6204e-14 parsecs

To Angstrom:

1 hm = 1000000000000 Å
Example: 5 hectometers = 5000000000000 angstroms

To Point (Typography):

1 hm = 283464.388369 pt
Example: 5 hectometers = 1417321.941844 points

To Mil/Thou:

1 hm = 3937007.874016 mil
Example: 5 hectometers = 19685039.370079 mils

To Fathom:

1 hm = 54.680665 fath
Example: 5 hectometers = 273.403325 fathoms

To Furlong:

1 hm = 0.497097 fur
Example: 5 hectometers = 2.485485 furlongs

To Link (Gunter's):

1 hm = 497.096954 li
Example: 5 hectometers = 2485.484769 links

To Pace:

1 hm = 131.233596 pace
Example: 5 hectometers = 656.167979 paces

To Span:

1 hm = 437.445319 span
Example: 5 hectometers = 2187.226597 spans

To Digit:

1 hm = 5249.343832 digit
Example: 5 hectometers = 26246.71916 digits

To Cable Length:

1 hm = 0.539957 cb
Example: 5 hectometers = 2.699784 cable lengths

To Ell:

1 hm = 87.489064 ell
Example: 5 hectometers = 437.445319 ells

To Finger:

1 hm = 874.890639 finger
Example: 5 hectometers = 4374.453193 fingers

To Roman Mile:

1 hm = 0.067568 m.p.
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.337838 Roman miles

To Stadion:

1 hm = 0.540541 stadion
Example: 5 hectometers = 2.702703 stadia

To Chi (Chinese):

1 hm = 300.030003 chi
Example: 5 hectometers = 1500.150015 chi

To Shaku (Japanese):

1 hm = 330.033003 shaku
Example: 5 hectometers = 1650.165017 shaku

To Li (Chinese):

1 hm = 0.2 li
Example: 5 hectometers = 1 li

To Toise:

1 hm = 51.308363 toise
Example: 5 hectometers = 256.541816 toise

To Bolt:

1 hm = 3.28084 bolt
Example: 5 hectometers = 16.404199 bolts

To Rope:

1 hm = 16.404199 rope
Example: 5 hectometers = 82.020997 ropes

To Smoot:

1 hm = 58.761312 smoot
Example: 5 hectometers = 293.806558 smoots

To Sajene:

1 hm = 46.869141 sajene
Example: 5 hectometers = 234.345707 sajenes

To Ken:

1 hm = 55.005501 ken
Example: 5 hectometers = 275.027503 ken

To Wa:

1 hm = 50 wa
Example: 5 hectometers = 250 wa

To Vara:

1 hm = 119.303269 vara
Example: 5 hectometers = 596.516345 varas

To Aln:

1 hm = 168.350168 aln
Example: 5 hectometers = 841.750842 alnar

To Cubit (Royal/Egyptian):

1 hm = 191.204589 cubit
Example: 5 hectometers = 956.022945 cubits

To Versta:

1 hm = 0.093738 versta
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.468691 versts

To Arpent:

1 hm = 1.71025 arpent
Example: 5 hectometers = 8.551248 arpents

To Ri (Japanese):

1 hm = 0.025465 ri
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.127324 ri

To Klafter:

1 hm = 52.728711 klafter
Example: 5 hectometers = 263.643554 klafter

To Yojana:

1 hm = 0.007407 yojana
Example: 5 hectometers = 0.037037 yojanas

To Skein:

1 hm = 0.911344 skein
Example: 5 hectometers = 4.556722 skeins

Convert Hectometer

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Hectometer Quick Info

hm
Symbol:hm
Category:Length
System:Metric (SI)
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