| fathom | 1 ftm | 2 ftm | 3 ftm | 4 ftm | 5 ftm | 6 ftm | 7 ftm | 8 ftm | 9 ftm | 10 ftm | 11 ftm | 12 ftm | 13 ftm | 14 ftm | 15 ftm | 16 ftm | 17 ftm | 18 ftm | 19 ftm | 20 ftm | 21 ftm | 22 ftm | 23 ftm | 24 ftm | 25 ftm | 26 ftm | 27 ftm | 28 ftm | 29 ftm | 30 ftm | 31 ftm | 32 ftm | 33 ftm | 34 ftm | 35 ftm | 36 ftm | 37 ftm | 38 ftm | 39 ftm | 40 ftm | 41 ftm | 42 ftm | 43 ftm | 44 ftm | 45 ftm | 46 ftm | 47 ftm | 48 ftm | 49 ftm | 50 ftm | 51 ftm | 52 ftm | 53 ftm | 54 ftm | 55 ftm | 56 ftm | 57 ftm | 58 ftm | 59 ftm | 60 ftm | 61 ftm | 62 ftm | 63 ftm | 64 ftm | 65 ftm | 66 ftm | 67 ftm | 68 ftm | 69 ftm | 70 ftm | 71 ftm | 72 ftm | 73 ftm | 74 ftm | 75 ftm | 76 ftm | 77 ftm | 78 ftm | 79 ftm | 80 ftm | 81 ftm | 82 ftm | 83 ftm | 84 ftm | 85 ftm | 86 ftm | 87 ftm | 88 ftm | 89 ftm | 90 ftm | 91 ftm | 92 ftm | 93 ftm | 94 ftm | 95 ftm | 96 ftm | 97 ftm | 98 ftm | 99 ftm | 100 ftm |
| nail (cloth) | 32 nail (cloth) | 64 nail (cloth) | 96 nail (cloth) | 128 nail (cloth) | 160 nail (cloth) | 192 nail (cloth) | 224 nail (cloth) | 256 nail (cloth) | 288 nail (cloth) | 320 nail (cloth) | 352 nail (cloth) | 384 nail (cloth) | 416 nail (cloth) | 448 nail (cloth) | 480 nail (cloth) | 512 nail (cloth) | 544 nail (cloth) | 576 nail (cloth) | 608 nail (cloth) | 640 nail (cloth) | 672 nail (cloth) | 704 nail (cloth) | 736 nail (cloth) | 768 nail (cloth) | 800 nail (cloth) | 832 nail (cloth) | 864 nail (cloth) | 896 nail (cloth) | 928 nail (cloth) | 960 nail (cloth) | 992 nail (cloth) | 1 024 nail (cloth) | 1 056 nail (cloth) | 1 088 nail (cloth) | 1 120 nail (cloth) | 1 152 nail (cloth) | 1 184 nail (cloth) | 1 216 nail (cloth) | 1 248 nail (cloth) | 1 280 nail (cloth) | 1 312 nail (cloth) | 1 344 nail (cloth) | 1 376 nail (cloth) | 1 408 nail (cloth) | 1 440 nail (cloth) | 1 472 nail (cloth) | 1 504 nail (cloth) | 1 536 nail (cloth) | 1 568 nail (cloth) | 1 600 nail (cloth) | 1 632 nail (cloth) | 1 664 nail (cloth) | 1 696 nail (cloth) | 1 728 nail (cloth) | 1 760 nail (cloth) | 1 792 nail (cloth) | 1 824 nail (cloth) | 1 856 nail (cloth) | 1 888 nail (cloth) | 1 920 nail (cloth) | 1 952 nail (cloth) | 1 984 nail (cloth) | 2 016 nail (cloth) | 2 048 nail (cloth) | 2 080 nail (cloth) | 2 112 nail (cloth) | 2 144 nail (cloth) | 2 176 nail (cloth) | 2 208 nail (cloth) | 2 240 nail (cloth) | 2 272 nail (cloth) | 2 304 nail (cloth) | 2 336 nail (cloth) | 2 368 nail (cloth) | 2 400 nail (cloth) | 2 432 nail (cloth) | 2 464 nail (cloth) | 2 496 nail (cloth) | 2 528 nail (cloth) | 2 560 nail (cloth) | 2 592 nail (cloth) | 2 624 nail (cloth) | 2 656 nail (cloth) | 2 688 nail (cloth) | 2 720 nail (cloth) | 2 752 nail (cloth) | 2 784 nail (cloth) | 2 816 nail (cloth) | 2 848 nail (cloth) | 2 880 nail (cloth) | 2 912 nail (cloth) | 2 944 nail (cloth) | 2 976 nail (cloth) | 3 008 nail (cloth) | 3 040 nail (cloth) | 3 072 nail (cloth) | 3 104 nail (cloth) | 3 136 nail (cloth) | 3 168 nail (cloth) | 3 200 nail (cloth) |
A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to 6 feet (1.8288 metres), used especially for measuring the depth of water.
There are two yards (6 feet) in an imperial fathom. Originally the span of a man's outstretched arms, the size of a fathom has varied slightly depending on whether it was defined as a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. Formerly, the term was used for any of several units of length varying around 5–5 1⁄2 feet.
| Name of unit | Symbol | Definition | Relation to SI units | Unit System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fathom | ftm | ≡ 6 ft | = 1.8288 m | Imperial/US |
| fathoms | nails (cloth) | fathoms | nails (cloth) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | = 32 | 4 | = 128 |
| 1.5 | = 48 | 4.5 | = 144 |
| 2 | = 64 | 5 | = 160 |
| 2.5 | = 80 | 5.5 | = 176 |
| 3 | = 96 | 6 | = 192 |
A nail, as a unit of cloth measurement, is generally a sixteenth of a yard or 2 1/4 inches (5.715 cm). The nail was apparently named after the practice of hammering brass nails into the counter at shops where cloth was sold.
| Name of unit | Symbol | Definition | Relation to SI units | Unit System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nail (cloth) | ≡ 2 1⁄4 in | = 0.05715 m | Other (Length) |
| nails (cloth) | fathoms | nails (cloth) | fathoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | = 0.03125 | 4 | = 0.125 |
| 1.5 | = 0.046875 | 4.5 | = 0.140625 |
| 2 | = 0.0625 | 5 | = 0.15625 |
| 2.5 | = 0.078125 | 5.5 | = 0.171875 |
| 3 | = 0.09375 | 6 | = 0.1875 |
| fathoms | nails (cloth) |
|---|---|
| 1 | = 32 |
| 0.03125 | = 1 |
| Symbol | Definition |
|---|---|
| ≡ | exactly equal |
| ≈ | approximately equal to |
| = | equal to |
| digits | indicates that digits repeat infinitely (e.g. 8.294 369 corresponds to 8.294 369 369 369 369 …) |