Distance is a fundamental concept in physics, denoting the physical space travelled or moved by an object. Being a scalar quantity, it is measured in units known as centimetres in the CGS system.
| Table of Contents: |
Unit of Distance: Understanding SI, Metric Units, Conversion, and More
Last Updated on Jul 31, 2023
Download As PDF
IMPORTANT LINKS
Branches of Physics
Murphys Law
Weightlessness
Braille
Humidity
The International System of Units
Measurement of Speed
Spherometer
Micrometer
Sonometer
Difference Between Mass and Volume
Unit of Mass
Difference Between Density and Volume
Density of Air
Relation Between Pascal and Bar
Impulse Units
Relation Between Calorie and Joule
Difference Between Kva and Kw
Unit of Pressure
Relation Between Pressure and Density
SI Unit Of Distance
The International System of Units (SI) designates the metre as the standard unit of distance. This base unit is used to derive other units and quantities such as volume, area, acceleration, and speed.
Metric Unit Of Distance
The metric system incorporates the C.G.S and M.K.S unit systems. Here is a table outlining the metric units of distance:
| Unit | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Millimetre | mm |
| Centimetre | cm |
| Metre | m |
| Kilometre | km |
Distance Conversion
Here is a table illustrating the conversion between different units of distance:
| Millimetre (mm) | Centimetre (cm) | Metre (m) | Kilometre (km) | |
| 1 millimetre (mm) | 1 | 0.1 | 0.001 | 0.000001 |
| 1 centimetre (cm) | 10 | 1 | 0.01 | 0.00001 |
| 1 metre (m) | 1000 | 100 | 1 | 0.001 |
| 1 kilometre (km) | 1000000 | 100000 | 1000 | 1 |
| 1 inch (in) | 25.4 | 2.54 | 0.0254 | 0.0000254 |
Test Series
130.8k Students
NCERT XI-XII Physics Foundation Pack Mock Test
323 TOTAL TESTS
| 5 Free Tests
- 3 Live Test
- 163 Class XI Chapter Tests
- 157 Class XII Chapter Tests
Commonly Used Distance Units
For larger distances, such as those in astronomy, other units are used. These include:
- The solar radius, which is 7 × 1010 cm.
- The Astronomical Unit (AU), which is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, 1.496 × 1013 cm, or about 93 million miles.
- A light-year (ly), the distance light travels in one year, or 9.46 × 1017 cm. This is equivalent to 9,500,000,000,000 kilometres.
- The parsec (pc), the distance at which an object has a parallactic shift of 1 second of arc, or about 3.1 × 1018 cm. There are 3.26 light-years in a parsec and 206,265 Astronomical Units in a parsec.
More Articles for Physics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biggest unit of distance?
The parsec is the biggest unit of distance that is used to measure the distance between the astronomical objects that are outside the solar system.
What is the smallest unit of distance?
The smallest unit of distance is Planck length which is denoted as ℓp and is equal to 1.616255(18)×10^-35.