Convert inches to yards

Inch

Definition: An inch (symbol: in) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. An inch was defined to be equivalent to exactly 25.4 millimeters in 1959. There are 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard.

History/origin: The term "inch" was derived from the Latin unit "uncia" which equated to "one-twelfth" of a Roman foot.

There have been a number of different standards for the inch in the past, with the current definition being based on the international yard. One of the earlier definitions of the inch was based on barleycorns, where an inch was equal to the length of three grains of dry, round barley placed end-to-end. Another version of the inch is also believed to have been derived from the width of a human thumb, where the length was obtained from averaging the width of three thumbs: a small, a medium, and a large one.

Current use: The inch is mostly used in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It is also sometimes used in Japan (as well as other countries) in relation to electronic parts, like the size of display screens.

Yard

Definition: A yard (symbol: yd) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. It is defined as 3 feet or 36 inches.

History/origin: The origin of the yard as a unit of measurement is somewhat uncertain and various theories exist. One theory suggests it originated from the length of a person's stride or the distance from the tip of the nose to the end of the middle finger of an outstretched arm. Historically, different standards for the yard existed. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England is said to have established the yard as the distance from the tip of his nose to the end of his outstretched middle finger. However, the official standard yard is now based on the meter. In 1959, the international yard was defined as exactly 0.9144 meters.

Current use: The yard is commonly used in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada for measuring distances, particularly for sports fields (e.g., football fields), and in everyday measurements such as fabric and room dimensions.