Centimeter to Kilometer

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Result

1e-5

km

Conversion rate: 1 cm = 1e-5 km

Showing up to 4 decimal

How it works

The converter uses exact SI-based factors (e.g., 1 foot = 0.3048 meters, 1 inch = 0.0254 meters).

Formula: kilometers = centimeter × 0.00001

Results show between 0 and 8 decimal places and hide trailing zeros for readability.

Conversion Table

Centimeter Kilometer
0.001 cm 1e-8 km
0.01 cm 1e-7 km
0.1 cm 0.000001 km
1 cm 0.00001 km
10 cm 0.0001 km
100 cm 0.001 km
1000 cm 0.01 km

History

Centimeter (cm)

The centimeter, abbreviated as cm, represents one hundredth of a meter and is a key metric unit. It originated in France during the 1790s as part of the effort to create a unified and logical measurement system. Because of its practicality for measuring smaller items, body dimensions, and crafts, the centimeter quickly found widespread use. Although centimeters are used in daily life around the world, meters are more common in scientific settings for the sake of clarity and accuracy. Centimeters are especially important in engineering, architecture, and healthcare, where detailed measurements matter. Its straightforward nature and role in the metric system have made it a standard measurement unit worldwide.

Kilometer (km)

The kilometer, or km, is a unit in the metric system that equals 1,000 meters. It was established as part of the metric system during the French Revolution and soon became the default for measuring longer distances. The word “kilometer” is derived from the Greek for “thousand” (chilioi) and “measure” (metron). Kilometers are widely adopted for measuring travel distances, geographic features, maps, and sporting events in most countries. In contrast, the mile is still used in countries like the United States and the UK. The kilometer’s decimal structure makes calculations simple and has been essential to transportation planning, GPS technologies, and international measurement standards.

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