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A Unit Of Length is any measure used for linear distance (height, width, etc.). If the unit is fixed, such as the American inch, its length in the SI base unit, meters, should be given. If it is variable or unknown, such as the Biblical cubit, then the meter equivalence should not be specified.
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| x name | x image | x Measurement System | x Distance In Meters (m) | x article |
| x Meter |
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Gravitational metric system | 1 m |
The metre or meter is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to...
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| x Foot | English unit | 0.3048 m |
A foot (plural: feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. Its size can vary...
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| x Millimeter |
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Gravitational metric system | 0.001 m |
The millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousandth of a metre, which is the current SI base unit of length.
Equal to 1000 micrometres. Equal to 1000000 nanometres.
For the...
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| x Inch |
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US customary units | 0.0254 m |
An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ – a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and...
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| x Kilometer | Gravitational metric system | 1,000 m |
The kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol km is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in ⁄ 299,792.458 of a second.
It is the...
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| x Mile |
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Imperial unit system | 1,609.344 m |
A mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters (1,760 yards = 5,280 feet) or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters (about 6,076 ft 1/8 in). There...
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| x Yard |
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English unit | 0.9144 m |
A yard (abbreviation: yd) is a unit of length in several different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, although its length in SI units varied slightly from system...
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| x Micrometer |
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Gravitational metric system | 0 m |
A micrometre or micron (American spelling: micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a metre,or equivalently one thousandth of a millimetre.
It can be written in scientific notation as 1×10 m, meaning ⁄1000000 m.
Or equivalent to one thousand...
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| x Ångström | 0 m |
The ångström or angstrom (symbol Å) (pronounced /ˈɔːŋstrəm/; Swedish: IPA: [ˈɔŋstrˈøm]) is an internationally recognized unit of length equal to 0.1 nanometre or 1 × 10 metres. It is named after Anders Jonas Ångström. Although accepted for use, it...
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| x Centimeter |
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Gravitational metric system | 0.01 m |
A centimetre (American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, which is the current SI base unit of length. Centi is the SI prefix for a factor of 10. Hence a centimetre can be...
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| Centimeter gram second system of units | ||||
| x Li | Chinese units of measurement | 500 m |
The li (里, lǐ) is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer (c. 1640 feet). A modern li consists of 1,500 Chinese "feet" or chi and, in the...
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| x Solar radius | Astronomical units of length | 696,000,000 m |
In astronomy, the solar radius is a unit of length used to express the size of stars. It is equal to the current radius of the Sun. Its value is:
The solar radius is approximately 432,450 miles (695,500 kilometres) or about 110 times the radius of...
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| x Decimetre | Gravitational metric system | 0.1 m |
A decimetre (American spelling: decimeter, symbol dm) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one tenth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. In simple words there are 10 cm in a decimetre. It can be written in scientific...
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| x Thou | Imperial unit system | 0.00003 m |
A thou (pronounced /ˈθaʊ/, also known as a mil or point, is a unit of length equal to 0.001 inch (a "milli-inch", one thousandth of an inch). The equivalent SI unit is the micrometre.
The introduction of the thou in 1844 is generally attributed to...
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| x Furlong |
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Imperial unit system | 201.168 m |
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units. It is equal to one-eighth of a mile, 220 yards, 660 feet, 201.168 meters, or 10 chains.
Five furlongs are approximately 1 kilometer (1.00584 km to be exact). Since the...
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| Burmese units of measurement | ||||
| x League | Imperial unit system |
A league is a unit of length (or, rarely, area). It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league most frequently refers to the distance a person or a horse can walk in an hour. However,...
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| x Fathom |
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Imperial unit system | 1.8288 m |
A fathom is a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units), used especially for measuring the depth of water.
There are 2 yards (6 feet) in a fathom. Based on the distance between the fingertips of a man's...
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| x Cable length | Imperial unit system |
A cable length or cable's length is a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nautical mile or 100 fathoms, or sometimes 120 fathoms. The unit is named after the length of a ship's anchor cable in the age of sail. The definition varies:
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| x Nautical mile |
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Imperial unit system | 1,852 m |
The nautical mile (symbol M, NM, Nm or nmi) is a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. It is a non-SI unit (although accepted for use in the SI by the BIPM) used especially by navigators in...
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| x Link | Imperial unit system | 0.201 m |
The link (usually abbreviated as "l.", "li." or "lnk."), also called a Gunter’s link, is a unit of length in the imperial system. The unit was based on Gunter's measurement where a metal chain consisting of 100 links was used in surveying real...
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| x Rod |
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Imperial unit system | 5.029 m |
The rod is a unit of length equal to 5.5 yards, 5.0292 meters, 16.5 feet, or ⁄320 of a statute mile. A rod is the same length as a perch and a pole. The lengths of the perch (one rod) and chain (four rods) were standardized in 1607 by Edmund Gunter....
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| x Chain |
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Imperial unit system | 20.117 m |
A chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 4 rods or 100 links (20.1168m). There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains (that is, an area of one chain by one...
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| x Megametre | Gravitational metric system | 1,000,000 m |
A megametre (American spelling: megameter, symbol Mm) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one million metres, the SI base unit of length, hence to 1,000 km or approximately 621.37 miles.
Megametres (from the Greek words megas = big...
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| x Hectometre |
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Gravitational metric system | 100 m |
A hectometre (American spelling: hectometer, symbol hm) is a somewhat uncommonly used unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundred metres. It derives from the Greek word "ekato", meaning "hundred".
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| x Decametre | Gravitational metric system | 10 m |
A decametre also dekametre (American spelling: dekameter, earlier decameter symbol dam) is a very rarely used unit of length in the metric system, equal to ten metres, the SI base unit of length. It can be written in scientific notation as 1 E+1 m ...
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| x Nanometre |
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Gravitational metric system | 0 m |
A nanometre (American spelling: nanometer; symbol nm) (Greek: νάνος, nanos, "dwarf"; μέτρον, metrοn, "unit of measurement") is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a meter.
It is one of the more often used units for very...
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| x Picometre |
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Gravitational metric system | 0 m |
A picometre (symbol pm) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one trillionth, i.e. (/1,000,000,000,000) of a meter, which is the current SI base unit of length. It can be written in scientific notation as 1×10 m (scientific notation) or...
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| x Cun |
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Chinese units of measurement |
The cun (Chinese: 寸; pinyin: cùn; Wade-Giles: ts'un, Japanese: sun) is a traditional Chinese unit of length. Its traditional measure is the width of a person's thumb at the knuckle, whereas the width of the two forefingers denotes 1.5 cun and the...
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| x Planck length | Planck units | 0 m |
In physics, the Planck length, denoted ℓP, is a unit of length, equal to 1.616252(81)×10 meters. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units. The Planck length can be defined from three fundamental physical constants: the speed of light in a...
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| x Digit |
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English unit | 0.01905 m |
A digit (lat. finger), when used as a unit of length, is usually a sixteenth of a foot, 0.43"; or 1.905 cm (for the international inch). The width of an adult human male finger tip is indeed about 2 centimetres. In English this unit has mostly...
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| x Finger |
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English unit | 0.02223 m |
A finger (sometimes finger-breadth), is usually seven eighths of an inch or 2.2225 cm (for the international inch). The width of an adult human male finger tip is indeed about two centimetres. The inch, on the other hand, originates in the breadth...
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| x Hand |
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English unit | 0.1016 m |
A hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of measurement of length equal to 4 inches (10.16 cm).
It was originally based on the breadth of a male human hand, and is now standardized at 4 inches (10.16 cm). When used to measure height, it is abbreviated "h" ...
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| x Nail | English unit |
A nail, when used as a unit, is usually one sixteenth of a certain base unit. In English usage the most common base units were the foot and the yard for length, the acre for area and the (long) hundredweight for mass.
(Metric sizes calculated for...
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| x Palm |
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English unit | 0.0762 m |
A palm, when used as a unit of length, is usually four digits (fingers) or three inches, i.e. 7.62 cm (for the international inch).
In English measurements, this unit has mostly fallen out of use, as have others based on the human arm: digit (¼ palm...
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| x Shaftment |
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English unit | 0.1524 m |
The shaftment is a unit of length, 6 - 6½ inches or 2 palms, i.e. 15.24 cm. A shaftment is the width of the fist and outstretched thumb. The lengths of poles, staves, etc. can be easily measured by grasping the bottom of the staff with thumb...
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| x Span |
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English unit | 0.2286 m |
A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit. See also: English unit
In Slavic languages, the analogue of the span is the piad ...
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| Obsolete Russian units of measurement | ||||
| x Cubit |
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English unit |
A cubit is the first recorded unit of length and was one of many different standards of measurement used through history.
It was originally based on measuring by comparing to one's forearm length. The Egyptian hieroglyph for the unit shows this...
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| x Ell |
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English unit | 1.143 m |
An ell (from Proto-Indo-European *el- "elbow, forearm"), is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.
Several national forms existed, with different lengths, including the Scottish ell (approximately 37 inches or 94 centimetres...
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| x Astronomical unit | Astronomical units of length | 149,597,870,691 m |
An astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU, au, a.u., or sometimes ua) is a unit of length roughly equal to the mean distance between the Earth and the Sun. It is approximately 150 million kilometres (93 million miles).
The symbol ua is recommended by...
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| x Light-year |
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Astronomical units of length | 9,460,730,472,580,000 m |
As defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a light-year ( or light year) is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year. The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second. Therefore, a light-year (symbol: ly) is a...
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| x Parsec | Astronomical units of length | 30,856,775,813,100,000 m |
The parsec ("parallax of one arcsecond", symbol pc) is a unit of length, equal to just under 31 million million kilometres (about 19 million million miles), or about 3.26 light-years. The parsec measurement unit is used in astronomy and is defined...
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| x Bohr radius | Atomic units | 0 m |
In the Bohr model of the structure of an atom, put forward by Niels Bohr in 1913, electrons orbit a central nucleus. The model says that the electrons orbit only at certain distances from the nucleus, depending on their energy. In the simplest atom,...
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| x Point | French units of measurement |
In typography, a point is the smallest unit of measure, being a subdivision of the larger pica. It is commonly abbreviated as pt. The traditional printer's point, from the era of hot metal typesetting and presswork, varied between 0.18 and 0.4 mm...
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| x Toise | French units of measurement | 1.949 m |
A toise (symbol: T) is a unit of measure for length, area and volume originating in pre-revolutionary France. In North America, it was used in colonial French establishments in early New France, French Louisiana (La Louisiane), and Quebec....
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| x Arpent | French units of measurement | 58.47 m |
An arpent is the name given to a unit of length and to a unit of area. It is not an SI unit. It is used in Quebec as well as in some areas of the United States that were part of French Louisiana.
There were various standard arpents. The most common...
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| x Parasang | Persian units of measurement |
The parasang is a historical Iranian unit of itinerant distance comparable to the European league.
In antiquity, the term was used throughout much of the Middle East, and the Old Iranian language from which it derives can no longer be determined ...
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| Obsolete Tatar units of measurement | ||||
| x Shaku | Japanese units of measurement | 0.303 m |
The shaku (尺) is a traditional unit of measure used throughout Asia with a length approximately equal to a foot. It is variously called shaku in Japanese, chi in Mandarin, chek in Cantonese, and written as "chek" in Hong Kong. As with other...
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| x Geographical mile | Swedish units of measurement | 1,855 m |
The geographical mile is a unit of length determined by 1 minute of arc along the Earth's equator. For the 1924 International Spheriod this equalled 1855.4 metres. Any greater precision depends more on choice of standard than on more careful...
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| x Light second |
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299,792,458 m |
A light-second is a unit of length useful in astronomy, telecommunications and relativistic physics. It is defined as the distance that light travels in free space in one second, and is equal to exactly 299 792 458 metres. It is just over 186,000...
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| x Light minute | 17,987,547,480 m |
A light-minute (also written light minute) is a unit of length. It is defined as the distance light travels in an absolute vacuum in one minute or 17,987,547,480 metres (~18 Gm). (See 10 gigametres for similar lengths.) Note that this value is exact...
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| x Light hour | 1,079,252,848,800 m |
A light-hour (also written light hour) is a unit of length. It is the distance travelled by light in vacuum in one hour, or 3,600 seconds. Based on the current definition of the metre a light-hour is equal to 1,079,252,848,800 metres (~1.08 Tm)....
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| x Light day |
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25,902,068,371,200 m |
A light day (also written light-day) is a unit of length. It is defined as the distance light travels in an absolute vacuum in one day (of 86,400 seconds) or 25,902,068,371,200 metres (~26 Tm).
Note that this value is exact, since the metre is...
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| x Light week | 181,314,478,598,000 m |
A light-week (also written light week) is a unit of length. It is defined as the distance light travels in an absolute vacuum in one week (seven days of 86,400 seconds each) or 181,314,478,598,400 metres (~181 Tm).
Note that this value is exact,...
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| x Light month |
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777,062,051,136,000 m |
A light-month (also written light month) is a unit of length. It is defined as the distance light travels in an absolute vacuum in one full month (thirty days of 86,400 seconds each) or 777,062,051,136,000 metres (~777 Tm). See Orders of magnitude ...
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| x Siriometer | 149,597,870,691,000,000 m |
The siriometer is a rarely used astronomical measure equal to one million astronomical units, i.e., one million times the average distance between the Sun and Earth. This distance is equal to about 149,597,870,000,000,000 meters or about 15.813...
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| x Spat | 1,000,000,000,000 m |
The spat (symbol S), from the Latin Spatium ("Space") is an obsolete unit of distance used in astronomy. It is equal to one billion kilometres (1 Tm or 10 m). It is about 1.057×10 light-years or 3.240×10 parsecs.
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| x Alen |
Alen or aln is a traditional Scandinavian unit of distance similar to the north German elle: roughly 60 centimeters. The Danish alen, also used in Norway, was equal to 62.77 centimeters (2 Danish fod). The Swedish aln was 59.38 centimeters.
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| x Bahar | 0.0325 m |
Bahar (Arabic: بـهـﺭ) is an obsolete unit of measurement.
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| x Bamboo |
A bamboo is an obsolete unit of length in India and Myanmar.
In India, the unit was fixed by the reforms of Akbar the Great (1556–1605) at approximately 12.8 m (42 ft). After Metrication in India in the mid-20th century, the unit became obsolete.
In...
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| x Beard-second | 0 m |
The beard-second is a unit of length created as teaching exercise inspired by the light year, but for nuclear physics instead of astronomy. The beard-second is defined as the length an average beard grows in a second, or about 5 nanometers.
The...
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