Meter

A Meter is a unit of measurement of distance.

• It is a planetary scale measurement.
• It is a standard Imperial metric.

Description (Specifications)

A meter is a frequently used unit of distance. It is typically used to describe the dimensions of everyday objects such as vehicles and structures. Very small units are often used in the sciences.

• A meter is equivalent to one quadillion (10¹⁵) femtometers (Fermis).
• A meter is equivalent to ten billion (10¹⁰) Ångströms.
• A meter is equivalent to one billion (10⁹) nanometers (millimicrons).
• A meter is equivalent to one million (10⁶) microns.
• A meter is equivalent to one thousand (10³) millimeters.
• A meter is equivalent to one hundred (10²) centimeters.
• The common Imperial abbreviation is m.

MKS and CGS Units

The MKS system of units is a physical system of measurement based on the meter as the unit of length, the kilogram as the unit of mass, and the second as the unit of time. Smaller scale measurements may utilize the CGS system, based on the centimeter as the unit of length, the gram as the unit of mass, and the second as the unit of time. The system has broad applications within science, engineering and commerce.

Term Usage Example

A typical human stands between 1.5 and 1.8 meters tall.

History & Background (Dossier)

Technologists found the meter useful as the concept of the Technology Level and standardized ideas about sophont society development began to take form.

Imperial & Solomani Term Usage

The meter was first defined as a unit of distance on Terra prior to the foundation of the Terran Confederation. It was calculated as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator of Terra to the world's northern pole.

Modern Imperial usage bases the meter on the distance that light will travel in a vacuum over a period of one 300 millionth of a second, a concept adopted following the Solomani Rim War to avoid the use of specifically Terranocentric metrics.

Common Local Derivations

A number of local variant units based on the meter are in use around Charted Space, many of which are modifications of earlier unit systems that have been maintained, mostly for cultural reasons or tradition:

• Metric Inch. A distance of 2.5 cm.
• Metric Span. Variously, a distance of either ¼ or ¹/₅ meter.
• Metric Cubit. A distance of ½ meter.

In some very isolated locales, the meter has been refered to by the following terms:

• Yard.
• Ell.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Fire, Fusion, & Steel (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), 5.
• David Golden, Guy Garnett. Fire, Fusion & Steel (Imperium Games, 1997), 7.
• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 615.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science