Convert hand to dekameter Online | Free Length Converter

Hand

A hand is a traditional unit of length primarily used to measure the height of horses. It is equal to 4 inches or 10.16 centimeters.

The origin of the hand as a measurement comes from using the width of a human hand, and it has been standardized at 4 inches for consistency in horse measurement. Horse height is expressed in "hands," measured from the ground to the highest point of the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades).

Key points:

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  1 hand = 4 inches

  
  
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  1 hand = 10.16 centimeters

  
  
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  Used mainly for measuring horse height

  
  
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  Horse height is often given in hands and inches, e.g., 15.2 hands means 15 hands plus 2 inches

  
  

The hand remains the standard unit for horse height in many English-speaking countries.

Dekameter

A dekameter (dam) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to 10 meters. It sits between a meter and a hectometer in size. Although it is an official part of the metric system, the dekameter is rarely used in everyday life, education, or even science. For example, a small swimming pool might be around 2 dekameters long. The symbol for dekameter is "dam". Since most people prefer using meters or kilometers, the dekameter is more of a theoretical unit used mainly for teaching the structure of the metric system.