Convert yards to meters
Please provide values below to convert yard [yd] to meter [m], or vice versa.
Yard
Definition: A yard (symbol: yd) is a unit of length in both the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, and defined as exactly 0.9144 meters since 1959.
History/origin: The yard has ancient origins and was used by several cultures. The term appears to derive from the Old English "gerd" or "gyrd," meaning a stick or rod. In medieval England, the yard was standardized by King Henry I in the 12th century, supposedly as the distance from the tip of his nose to the end of his outstretched thumb. Various standards for the yard existed until the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959, when it was precisely defined in terms of the meter.
Current use: The yard remains in common use in the United States and the United Kingdom for certain measurements. In the US, it is widely used in American football (the field is marked in yards), and for fabric measurements. In the UK, road signs showing distance were in yards until recently, and the unit is still commonly used in cricket. The yard is also still used in golf course measurements in many countries. Despite the global adoption of the metric system, the yard continues to be used in these specific applications and in everyday measurements in countries that have retained imperial units.
Meter
Definition: The meter (symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as the length of the path traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
History/origin: The meter was originally defined in 1793 during the French Revolution as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along a meridian passing through Paris. In 1799, a platinum bar was created to represent this length. Over time, the definition has evolved for greater precision. In 1960, it was redefined in terms of wavelengths of krypton-86 radiation, and in 1983, it was given its current definition based on the speed of light, which is considered a universal constant.
Current use: The meter is used worldwide as the fundamental unit of length in the metric system. It is employed in scientific research, engineering, construction, and everyday measurements in most countries around the world. The meter forms the basis for other length measurements in the SI system, with prefixes indicating multiples and fractions (e.g., kilometer, centimeter, millimeter). It is the official unit of measurement for length in all countries except the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar, though even these countries use it for scientific and many technical purposes.