Link (unit)
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The link (usually abbreviated as "l.", "li." or "lnk."), sometimes called a Gunter’s link, is a
The unit is based on
Proportions to other customary units
- Twenty-five links make a rod, pole or perch (16.5 feet).
- One hundred links make a chain.
- One thousand links make a furlong.
- Eight thousand links make a mile.
History
When the American colonies broke their ties with Great Britain in 1776, they needed to establish a system of units that fell under their own political authority.[citation needed] While they adopted many of the British units, the length of the yard (which determined all other units of length) was by necessity governed by the length of a physical artifact. The one in American possession was slightly different in actual length from the British one, due to imprecision of manufacture.[citation needed] It was of only minor significance at the time.
In 1824, Great Britain officially reformed their system of units in
Even so, the Mendenhall Order length of the yard continues in use even in 2013 in the United States as the basis for the
In October 2019, the U.S. National Geodetic Survey and the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced their joint intent to retire the U.S. survey foot, with effect from the end of 2022. The link in U.S. Customary units is thereafter defined based on the International 1959 foot.[2][3]
Absolute length
In many measurement systems based on former English units, the link has remained fixed at 0.66 feet, therefore 0.22 yards or 7.92 inches; it is the absolute length of the yard that has varied. A rare remaining application of the link is in the service of some surveying in the United States, which relates to the definition of the survey foot. During most of its useful life, a modern degree of precision in the link's measure was neither expected nor possible.
With various definitions, 1 link is equal to:
- exact 201.168 mm (based on the International 1959 foot)
- approximate 201.167 652 mm (based on the per-1959 imperial foot)
- approximate 201.168 402 mm (based on the U.S. survey foot)
See also
References
- ^ Holloway, Thomas (1881). The practical surveyor. Horace Cox. London. p.4. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ "NGS and NIST to Retire U.S. Survey Foot after 2022". National Geodetic Survey. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Survey Foot: Revised Unit Conversion Factors". NIST. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.