Centimetre

A centimetre (international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; symbol cm) or centimeter (American spelling) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, centi being the SI prefix for a factor of ¹⁄₁₀₀. The centimetre was the base unit of length in the now deprecated centimetre–gram–second (CGS) system of units.

Though for many physical quantities, SI prefixes for factors of 10³—like milli- and kilo-—are often preferred by technicians, the centimetre remains a practical unit of length for many everyday measurements. A centimetre is approximately the width of the fingernail of an average adult person.

Equivalence to other units of length

One cubic centimetre is equal to 1 millilitre, under the current SI system of units.

Other uses

In addition to its use in the measurement of length, the centimetre is used:

1 centimetre

To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 10⁻²m and 10⁻¹ m (1 cm and 10 cm).

See also

References