We will teach you how to convert miles to kilometers. Both the mile and the kilometer are units of length, that is, they measure the distance between two determined points. Measuring is nothing more than comparing a certain pattern with that distance that we want to measure. That pattern can be a meter, a kilometer or a mile or a light year. It all depends on what you want to measure, with what precision, with what instrument, in what system and even in what country. And this is only talking about measuring lengths or, to be more correct, distances traveled if we talk about miles and kilometers. At the same time, this makes the units derived from these change according to the use of a region, for example if we talk about speed we can express them in kilometers per hour or miles per hour.
Ancient societies used the reference system to measure the human body: from there we know the inch, the foot, the yard, the fathom, the span, the cubit. Today they seem archaic and yet many are used today as the inch. But to measure larger distances, these were not enough, so the mile emerged as in ancient Rome as the distance covered by taking 2000 steps.
For a long time, each nation had its own units of length and this was really a chaos because it was impossible to speak in the same language, so it was decided to create a Decimal Metric System that defined the meter as the unit of measurement of lengths. After many attempts to be able to define exactly how much the meter would be equivalent to, relating it to the Earth, to that of platinum and iridium and finally to the distance that light travels in a vacuum. Among the multiples of the meter is the Kilometer, which is 1000 times greater than it. Presented like this, the mile and the kilometer, we will see how to convert from one to the other and we will do several examples.
What do you need to convert miles to kilometers?
- A number in miles to convert to km
- Remember the conversion factor or its approximation: 1.609344 or 1.6
- Calculator or pencil and paper.
- Computer and Internet connection
Instructions for converting miles to kilometers
- If it was clear to you from what you read previously, the mile does not belong to the decimal metric system, while the kilometer does. But logically there is an equivalence between them.
- 1 mile (mi) equals 1.609344km
- 1Km equals 0.621371192237334 miles
- These numbers with so many decimal places make sense when we use a length converter simply by pressing a button. Luckily the Web gives us the possibility to resort to these converters that make things easier for us.
- But if we are not lucky enough to access one of these length converters, we must do it ourselves, do the calculation for which it does not make sense to work with so many decimal places. That is, we can arrive at the following relationship:
- 1mi = 1.6km
- 1km = 0.6 mi
- Now let’s apply it, we can do it like this:
- 1 mi = 1.6 km
- 2 mi= 2 x 1.6 km = 3.2 km
- 3 mi = 3 x 1.6 km = 4.8 km
- And so on. Actually, if we worked with all the decimals we would see that:
- 3 mi = 5 km. Observe: 3mi = 1.609344km = 4.828032 km and if we want to do it with a less precise but clearer approximation we can say that:
- 3 mi = approximately 5 km
- 5 mi = 8 km
- 8 mi = 13 km
- For example: If two cities are 138 miles away and you want to know how many kilometers they are apart, you simply multiply the number of miles by the approximate conversion factor: 138 mi = 1.6 km x 138 = 220.8 km
- Another much faster option is when you can do it through your computer connected to the Internet. There are many unit converters. We will give you some pages that you can use for free and that making the conversion is more than fast. For example you can enter:
- Once you enter this page, the following screen will appear. As you will see, it not only allows you to transform miles into kilometers but also to do the reverse process and transform kilometers into miles.
- You just have to place the number of miles you want to convert in the rectangle that says miles and then click on “convert” and that’s it.
- Let’s do a test with both methods: 46 mi = 1.609344km x 46 = 74.029364 km
- If we do it more approximately: 46 mi = 1.6 km x 46 = 73.6 km (approximately 74 km)
- You will notice that there are differences in the decimals, this is due to the precision and number of decimals with which the converter works, the important thing is that in all cases it is clear that 46 miles are equivalent to 74 km with small differences in the decimal part.
- Another way to convert is by resorting to:
- If you go to this site on your computer you will see this screen that you see in the photo.
- First you must display the options of what units you want to convert, that is, in our case miles and click there.
- Finally, you click on “convert” and the conversion in various units will appear at the bottom, including kilometers.
- As you will see, the result obtained, to compare it with all the other methods, is approximately the same: 74.029824… km, the integer part is 74 km, the same as in the other cases.
- In some countries, the distances covered in races by automobiles or by athletes are given in miles and for those who are used to expressing themselves in kilometers, they need to convert the units to be more clear about the distances covered.
- These methods also help you to convert miles/hour to km/hour, that is, speeds.
Tips for Converting Miles to Kilometers
- Do not confuse the nautical mile with the statute mile, 1 nautical mile is approximately 1,852km. And 1 km = 0.5399 nautical miles.