Fathom Conversion
A Fathom is a unit of length used primarily in nautical and maritime contexts to measure the depth of water. It is defined as 6 feet or 1.8288 meters. The word "fathom" originates from Old English and means "to embrace" or "to encompass," reflecting its use in early navigation and fishing.
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| Fathom (ftm) | = | Kilometer (km) |
What is Fathom ?
A Fathom is a unit of length used primarily in nautical and maritime contexts to measure the depth of water. It is defined as 6 feet or 1.8288 meters. The word "fathom" originates from Old English and means "to embrace" or "to encompass," reflecting its use in early navigation and fishing.
In practical terms, a fathom is roughly the span of an outstretched adult's arms from fingertip to fingertip. Sailors and fishermen traditionally used a weighted line marked at intervals of one fathom to measure water depth, ensuring safe passage for ships and navigation in shallow waters.
Today, while other units such as meters or feet are more commonly used for precise measurements, the fathom remains relevant in maritime industries for depth sounding and underwater activities. It's also occasionally used metaphorically to describe understanding or exploring something deeply, harkening back to its historical maritime roots.
List of Length conversion units
Kilometer Meter Millimeter Decimeter Centimeter Inch Foot Yard Mile Micron Nanometer Picometer Femtometer Attometer Zeptometer Yoctometer Dekameter Hectometer Megameter Gigameter Terameter Petameter Exameter Zettameter Yottameter Mil Nautical mile Li Half marathon Marathon Parsec Milliparsec Nanoparsec Picoparsec Kiloparsec Megaparsec Gigaparsec Teraparsec Astronomical unit Light year League Chain Furlong Megafurlong Rod Fathom Smoot Cubit Beard second Angstrom
A Fathom is a unit of length used primarily in nautical and maritime contexts to measure the depth of water. It is defined as 6 feet or 1.8288 meters. The word "fathom" originates from Old English and means "to embrace" or "to encompass," reflecting its use in early navigation and fishing.
In practical terms, a fathom is roughly the span of an outstretched adult's arms from fingertip to fingertip. Sailors and fishermen traditionally used a weighted line marked at intervals of one fathom to measure water depth, ensuring safe passage for ships and navigation in shallow waters.
Today, while other units such as meters or feet are more commonly used for precise measurements, the fathom remains relevant in maritime industries for depth sounding and underwater activities. It's also occasionally used metaphorically to describe understanding or exploring something deeply, harkening back to its historical maritime roots.
List of Length conversion units
Kilometer Meter Millimeter Decimeter Centimeter Inch Foot Yard Mile Micron Nanometer Picometer Femtometer Attometer Zeptometer Yoctometer Dekameter Hectometer Megameter Gigameter Terameter Petameter Exameter Zettameter Yottameter Mil Nautical mile Li Half marathon Marathon Parsec Milliparsec Nanoparsec Picoparsec Kiloparsec Megaparsec Gigaparsec Teraparsec Astronomical unit Light year League Chain Furlong Megafurlong Rod Fathom Smoot Cubit Beard second Angstrom