Whether you are looking to perform area conversions or simply translate a unit of measure, you can do so without a great deal of time and stress.
Try starting with our area converter to get accurate results for over 35 metric, imperial, and US customary units including square miles, acres and hectares.
To learn more about metric and imperial units and to take some of the frustration out of the conversion process, read through our guide below.
Working with units of measure can be complex, especially when dealing with area conversions.
An area converter simplifies the process of converting between area measurements. This can be especially helpful when trying to work from metric to imperial units, or vice versa.
Once you understand where these systems come from and what they're used for, you may find it much easier to make the necessary conversions.
To use the calculator, all you have to do is select your starting and ending units from the drop-down list. Then, enter a value in the field above and voila! Instant conversion.
Whether you're looking to purchase land or measure a 2-dimensional object, there will likely be a time where you'll need to define an area. The definition of area is typically referred to as the space in a set of boundaries.
The equations to define or measure area will typically depend on the type of space within the boundary. Knowing which shape you're working on (i.e., circular or rectangular) will point you in the direction of the right equation to use.
How you measure the area will also depend on the type of unit you will be using. Both metric and imperial units are used today.
The unit you choose will depend largely on your location and the purpose of measurement.
When it comes to measuring the physical world there are a number of choices on how you go about it. The size of a city block is typically measured in square miles or square kilometers.
You would use square meters or square feet to measure the area of a building or mountain peak but switch to inches squared or centimeters squared when measuring something smaller like a pizza.
The square meter (m2) is the basic unit of area in the metric system.
The square foot (f2) is the standard unit of area in the imperial system.
While the metric system and imperial systems are both used as units of measurements, they can be quite different.
Each system was founded and set into place in different countries and was originally used for different purposes (such as importation vs. farming).
Both can be used to measure a number of units including weight and mass, volume, energy, force, power, area, temperature, luminosity and more.
However, the two use different units of measurements in practically every area. They only use the same measurements of time such as seconds, minutes and hours or electricity.
Translating measurements within the same family is typically easier than having to convert from metric to imperial (or vice versa). How you convert your measurements will depend on the type of units you're working with.
If you're looking to convert feet to inches you will want to use this ratio: 1 square foot to 144 square inches.
You'll often find that converting within common units involves clean equations without added decimal values.
While working with another country, you may need to know how to convert units with different attributes accurately. How you go about this depends on the type of units you are converting, but will almost always involve some type of equation.
To convert miles to meters you'll want to use the ratio of 1 square mile = 2.59e+6 square meters.
Some conversions can be more complicated and use more challenging figures than others, which is why we recommend using an area conversion calculator
The concepts of metric and imperial units have been around for hundreds of years.
Metric units date back as early as 1791. Originally adapted during the French Revolution, the metric system was intended to bring some order to conflicting systems being used throughout Europe.
Before adopting the metric units, Europeans would typically use units of measurements like land area, length or even weight.
Unfortunately, the method of measurement would vary from country to country making it a challenge to buy and export goods.
Pierre-Simone Laplace has been credited as the mastermind behind the development of the metric system. Laplace was a French mathematician, astronomer, and physicist who pioneered the metric system along with a team of scientists.
The imperial system was also a solution to a similar problem. However, the Imperial system found its roots in Britain.
Today, Britain has adopted the metric system along with the rest of Europe. However, from 1824 until 1965, the imperial system was the primary mode of measurement.
The imperial system is said to be thousands of years old. In fact, it's primary equations come from Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and Celtic units that date back to the middle ages.
By the 17th century, these units would also be communicated in terms such as acres, rods, and furlongs. In some cases, 16 men would be lined up heel to heel in order to find the measurement.
A more streamlined version of the system came into line in 1878. At that time the British Imperial System was converted to more exact definitions of the existing units.