Talk:Unit of length

Article structure

So far, this is a list of units. If it is likely to remain so, it should be renamed to List of length units. RockMagnetist (talk) 14:48, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

thanks for the tip, bye. 220.255.1.125 (talk) 09:45, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

This statement was meant to elicit comments. For example, does anyone think that it should be more than a list? Does anyone object to renaming it? RockMagnetist (talk) 14:53, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

I am the 220.255.1.108's and I am fyc..ing sorry to the administrators whom I have vandalised. But there are so less units. Some may be made inofficially. Jiawhein (talk) 23:54, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

This article is again migrating toward a long list of noteworthy units of length. Some of these are important for context, but I propose re-steering the article toward an encyclopedic discussion of the concept of Unit of Length. Topics could include a discussion of why this concept is important/necessary, who controls or regulates the standards, a historical overview, and the problems & benefits of having standardized units. A suggested model to follow is the Units of measurement article. I agree that an all-inclusive List of units of length page could be created with a massive conversion table (or tables), if people find this interesting. Hadron137 (talk) 02:01, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Can we agree how to spell the units mentioned, the links from 'Meter' in text to the Article 'Metre' indicate the problem. If one country decides to spell it Meter then shouldn't the majority English spelling be used here? Equally for Centimetre etc. --ChrisW (talk) 20:41, 9 June 2024 (UTC)

Cover image

The image of the krypon lamp probably isn't the best way to illustrate unit of length. I get the historical significance, but the connection isn't immediately obvious. Can someone find a more relevant image? Hadron137 (talk) 21:06, 3 March 2016 (UTC) Hadron137 (talk) 21:06, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

I chose this image because metre bars had already been used in several articles and using Krypton is a more recent approach. And hey, it's pretty! If these reasons don't sway you, you could try looking through commons:Category:Units_of_length. RockMagnetist(talk) 05:35, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Legend for the first metre measurement, Vaugirard, Paris

This is a difficult subject to depict, as Unit of Length could be any unit. I chose a ruler with inch and cm gradients, but I agree that it's not as pretty as the Krypton lamp. Thoughts on using the original meter? I don't want to give preference to the meter over other units, but perhaps it's more aesthetic and interesting than a ruler..? Hadron137 (talk) 20:05, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Actually, I rather like the ruler, since it represents the two main systems. RockMagnetist(talk) 23:30, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Koss

I found a reference to a measurement unit used in India referred to as a koss. It was in the book "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling. Half a koss was identified as three quarters of a mile. I was hoping to find more information in Wikipedia but found nothing. It may make an interesting addition to this page, possibly in the Archaic units section if it is no longer in use. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.82.46.209 (talk) 08:09, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

I found an article for Kos (unit), which is probably the same thing. It's listed in Category:Units of length. Hadron137 (talk) 02:01, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Table

A cluster of IP editors has added a table with a lot of goofy units (like yoctoparsec) and goofy comments (like "Whoa! a lot!"). Tables of length scales have already been done much better at Orders of magnitude (length) and don't really add anything useful to this article, which should focus on the base units. I have therefore removed it. RockMagnetist (talk) 19:32, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

Agreed - it is totally unnecessary here, and what gets included looks entirely arbitrary. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:51, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

ok, removed but is table messy? 220.255.1.108 (talk) 06:50, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for removing it. There is nothing wrong with the format of the table and I appreciate your efforts to contribute to this article. I see three main objections:

1. The first is relatively minor: there are a lot of multiples of parsec that are unlikely ever to get used. Why would anyone use yoctoparsec instead of, say, nanometer? A table of this sort should include only units that already have articles devoted to them or are likely to have such an article in the future.
2. How do you decide which units to put in? If you just put in SI units, then you're just duplicating Orders of magnitude (length), which is much better. If you add a lot of English and other units, then you have a confusing mess.
3. Discussing multiples of base units like the meter distracts from the main purpose of this article. There are a lot of base units (ones without a prefix like milli-) that have not been included yet.

RockMagnetist (talk) 07:05, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

@ ATG, Like you. Jiawhein (talk) 23:57, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Stoney units

This page says the Stoney unit of length is equal to 1.381×10⁻³⁵, but this article on Stoney units says it is equal to 1.381×10⁻³⁶. Which is correct? – Pigeon <3 (talk) 15:37, 4 October 2022 (UTC)

Metre, not meter

I cannot find any evidence of a proper discussion on this subject, even though it has occasionally raised its ugly head over the previous 22 years. Time to put that right!

1. At the head of the article it says {{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
2. But the article dates way back to February 2004, with the first author from New York/Seattle, and hence kicking off with "meter". FYI that editor is still here in 2026, with 90k edits.
3. But back in 2004, within the first dozen edits, metre was given priority versus meter ('meter is a redirect, 'metre' is not)
4. Thru' 2005, 6, 7, 8, 9, and on, the article expanded, but held firm with metre, even to the extent of removing the side-reference to the US spelling 'meter'.
5. Then on 2 March 2011 an occasional IP editor with a strong interest in American Fork, Utah, changed it to meter, only to have it reverted within minutes (as vandalism) by an Admin (who is also still here in 2026).
6. Next up was a three-edit wonder who was so obsessed with the US spelling that their third (and final) edit converted metrology to meterology. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much in weeks! Needless to say, all three edits were swiftly reverted.
7. October 2012 seems to have been a difficult time for this article with various edit-warring, but not necessarily related to metre vs meter.
8. After that, things seem to have settled down, with several hundred regular edits over the next ten years, quite a few of them reverted, but none (or very few) related to metre vs meter.
9. And that brings us up to December 2023 and the decision by one editor to impose American English, supposedly per MOS:RETAIN. No discussion, no consensus.

The argument in favour was "the first edit used US English". This is correct, per item #2 above. But note how quickly that was changed (item #3), and also note that the original editor is still here today, and could be pinged for their views on why they never challenged the change back in 2004.

But even more significant is the first sentence in MOS:RETAIN;

When an English variety's consistent usage has been established in an article, maintain it...

Yes, an occasional editor "challenged" the status quo over the intervening 19 years, but all were swiftly reverted, usually as vandalism. The overall consistency is very clear.

Finally, there is the very small matter of strong national ties per MOS:TIES. There is no possible reason to suggest the US could have any strong national ties to the metric system. Just an alternative spelling for metre. That is all!

WendlingCrusader (talk) 20:45, 22 March 2026 (UTC)