Convert km to m

Kilometer

Definition
A kilometer (km) is a metric length unit equaling exactly 1 000 meters. In everyday terms, it corresponds to roughly 0.6214 statute miles.

Bakgrund
The prefix kilo- stems from the Greek khilioi (“thousand”), making the kilometer simply a thousandfold multiple of the meter. Today, the meter—and by extension the kilometer—is defined by the distance light covers in 1 / 299 792 458 seconds, ensuring an unchanging standard.

Where It’s Used
Kilometers are the world’s default for mapping and road signage, public transit, marathon distances, and more. Although countries like the United States and Liberia still use miles on highways, most of the globe—including Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia—relies on kilometers for land‐distance measurements.

Meter

Definition
A meter (m) is the SI’s base unit of length. It’s defined by the fixed speed of light: one meter is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1 / 299 792 458 of a second. This modern definition, adopted in 1983 and refined in 2019 alongside the second, underpins global measurement consistency.

Bakgrund

• 1793: Defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole.

• 1889: Realized by a platinum–iridium prototype bar at 0 °C.

• 1960: Recast in terms of krypton-86 wavelengths.

• 1983–2019: Anchored to the speed of light, ensuring absolute precision.

Where It’s Used
Meters are ubiquitous—from architectural blueprints and engineering schematics to everyday tasks like measuring room dimensions or tracking growth on a height chart. Even in countries that favor customary units, meters remain the scientific and trade standard.

Kilometer → Meter Conversion Table

Hur man konverterar

• To go from kilometers to meters: multiply by 1 000

• To go from meters to kilometers: divide by 1 000

Exempel

Convert 15 km to meters:

15 × 1 000 = 15 000 m