3 ms·

For reference, 5280 = 2^5 × 3 × 5 × 11 (8 prime factors, 4 distinct) So 5280 is better if you want to divide by 11, I guess! What a strange thing, how on eart

For reference, 5280 = 2^5 × 3 × 5 × 11 (8 prime factors, 4 distinct) So 5280 is better if you want to divide by 11, I guess! What a strange thing, how on earth did it end up with a factor of 11 in there... Edit: it's complicated: https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/inches.html https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/inches.html

sokoloff 3y ago
There are 11 fathoms in a chain, 10 chains in a furlong, and 8 furlongs to a mile. Going the other way, 2 yards in a fathom and 3 feet in a yard. That accounts for all the factors above.