There are many reasons why you might want to convert your feet to meters - for example, if you're describing your height to a friend from Europe or for a school assignment. There are many size conversion tools on the website, but in this article, wikiHow shows you how to do the conversion yourself quickly and easily. In most real-world situations, all you need to know is that 1 meter = 3.28 feet, so it's enough to divide feet by 3.28 to get the same length in meters. Read after a break below for more detailed information, including steps to get results in appropriate units while showing you how.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Quickly Convert Feet to Meters
Step 1. Take measurements in feet
This step is simple - just use a tape measure, ruler, measuring stick, or other measuring device to determine the length you want to measure in feet. In many situations, such as homework, you already know the length in feet you need to convert or this information will be provided to you. In these cases, you don't need to measure anything, because you can use the given measurements.
Step 2. Multiply or divide your measurement by a conversion factor
Since there are 3.28 feet in a meter, take the measurement (in feet) and divide by 3.28 to convert to meters. You also can multiply your measurement in feet by 0.3048 to get the exact same answer as there are 0.3048 meters in one foot.
- For example, let's say we want to know how tall we are in meters. If we were exactly 6 feet tall, we would divide 6/3.28 = 1.83 meters. Note that 6 x 0, 3048 yields the same answer.
- Don't forget to label your new answer in meters.
- For rough, casual calculations, you may need to round the conversion factor to 3, 3; 0, 3, etc. to make mental math easier. However, use precision as this rough value will cause inaccuracy in your results.
Step 3. Don't forget to take the inch measurements into account
In the real world, it's common for you to hear distances described not in whole-numbered feet (1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, etc.) but as a combination of feet and inches (20 feet and 11 inches, etc.). In cases where you need to convert the distance in feet and inches to meters, simply divide the known inches by 12 to find the equivalent number in feet (for sizes less than 12 inches, this is less than 1). Then, add this to your foot value and convert it to meters as usual.
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Let's say we want to convert our height to meters, but this time not 6 feet. Rather, 5 feet 10 inches. We will break it down as follows:
- 10 / 12 = 0, 84
- 5 + 0.84 = 5.84 feet total
- 5, 84 + 3, 28 = 1.78 meters
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You can also calculate inches by converting the unit value to a fraction. 5 feet and 10 inches equals 5 10/12 feet because there are 12 inches in 1 foot. Just multiply 5 by the denominator (12) and add it to the numerator (10) to get one neat fraction:
- 5 10/12
- ((5 x 12) + 10) / 12 = 70/12 feet.
- Note that 70/12 = 5.84 - the same value as the value obtained above. So 70/12 x 0, 3048 = 1.78 meters anyway.
Method 2 of 2: Showing How It Works in Unit Conversion Problems
Step 1. Create a conversion equation
In "show me how it works" types of questions, you are often not allowed to convert directly from feet to meters because the conversion factor between feet and meters is not well known. Fortunately, it's fairly simple to set up a unit conversion equation that uses the commonly known conversions between inches and centimeters and centimeters and meters to get an answer. Set the conversion system as shown below, leaving the foot value blank for the time being:
| _ ft | * | 12 in 1 ft | * | 2.54 cm 1 in | * | 1m 100cm | = | ? m |
Your conversion equation should account for any unit conversions you make from feet to meters. This equation should also have each type of unit appear once in the numerator and once in the denominator, except for meters, which should only appear once, in the numerator
Step 2. Make sure your units cancel each other out
If your equation is defined as described above, all of your units (except for meters) should cancel each other out. Remember that if a unit occurs in either the numerator or denominator of a fraction (or in two fractions being multiplied), this unit can be omitted.
A good way to remember this is to think of the fraction line as "per". That is, "per" in "12 inches per 1 foot", "2.54 cm per 1 inch", and "1 m per 100 cm". If you think about the conversion equation this way, it's easy to see how and why the units cancel each other out - you can simply take the initial values in feet through a series of calculations, converting them to inches, then centimeters, until you get your result. in meters
Enter your foot unit value, then solve. Enter your number in feet measurement at the beginning of the equation. Then, using a calculator, perform the calculations below to get the result, in meters.
- Let's say we want to convert 20 feet to meters. We will break it down as follows:
- 20 ft × (12 in/1 ft) × (2.54 cm/1 in) × (1 m/100 cm)
- = 240 inches × (2.54 cm/1 inch) × (1 m/100 cm)
- = 609.6 cm × (1 m/100 cm)
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= 6,096 m.
