A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Distance is a numerical description of how far apart objects are Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 US customary units, also known in the United States as English units or Imperial units (in reference to the British Empire) (but see English It is equal to one-eighth of a mile or 660 feet or 201. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 168 metres. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International

Five furlongs are approximately 1 kilometre (1. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand 00584 km to be exact). Since the original definition of the metre was one-quarter of one ten-millionth of the circumference of the Earth (along the great circle coincident with the meridian of Longitude passing through Paris), the circumference of the Earth is about 40,000 km or about 200,000 furlongs. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International This article is about the geographical concept For other uses of the word see Meridian. Longitude (ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd or ˈlɒŋgɪˌtjuːd symbolized by the Greek character Lambda (λ is the east-west Geographic coordinate measurement

History

The name furlong derives from the Old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long). Dating back at least to the ninth century, it originally referred to the length of the furrow in one acre of a ploughed open field (a medieval communal field which was divided into strips). The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U The open field system was the prevalent Agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in places The system of long furrows arose because turning a team of oxen pulling a heavy plough was difficult. This offset the drainage advantages of short furrows and meant furrows were made as long as possible. An acre is an area that is one furlong long and one chain (22 yards) wide. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U A chain is a unit of Length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards (20 For this reason, the furlong was once also called an acre's length, though of course in modern usage an area of one acre can be any shape. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U

The furlong was historically viewed as equivalent to the Roman stade (stadium), which in turn derived from the Greek system. The ancient Roman units of measurement were built on the Hellenic system with Egyptian, Hebrew, and Mesopotamian influences The ancient Greek system of weights and measures was built mainly upon the Egyptian, and formed the basis of the later Roman system. For example the King James bible will use the term "furlong" in place of the Greek "stadion", whereas modern translations will translate into miles in the main text and relate the original numbers in footnotes.

In the Roman system, there were 625 feet to the stade, eight stade to the mile, and three miles to the league. A league is a unit of Length or Area long common in Europe and Latin America, although no longer an official unit in any nation A league was considered to be the distance a man could walk in one hour, and the mile consisted of 1000 passus (5 feet, or double-step).

After the fall of Rome, Medieval Europe continued with the Roman system, which proceeded to "diversify" leading to serious complications in trade, taxation, etc. Around the turn of the century of 1300, England by decree standardized a long list of measures. Among the important units of distance and length at the time were foot, yard, rod, furlong and mile. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit A yard (abbreviation yd) is a unit of Length in several different systems including English units Imperial units and United The rod is a unit of Length equal to 55 Yards 11 Cubits 50292 Meters 16 A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The rod was 5½ yards or 16½ feet (= 3 feet/yard × 5½ yards), and the mile was 8 furlongs, so the definition of the furlong became 40 rods and that of the mile became 5280 feet (= 8 furlongs × 40 rods/furlong × 16½ feet/rod ).

The official use of furlong was abolished in the United Kingdom under the Weights and Measures Act of 1985, which also abolished from official use many other traditional units of measurement. A Weights and Measures Act is an Act of Parliament determining Trade law where the weight or size of the goods being traded are important

Use

The 5 furlong (1006 m) post on Epsom Downs

Today the unit enjoys very limited use. The Derby Stakes, known colloquially as The Derby or internationally as the Epsom Derby, is considered one of the most prestigious flat Thoroughbred horse races Distances for thoroughbred horse races in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the United States are still given in miles and furlongs (example). The Thoroughbred is a horse breed This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is heavily used within the rail industry (especially maintenance and repair services) in the UK, due to the legacy measurements and distance markers from when the tracks were first laid down (see milestone). The furlong is a base unit of the humorous FFF System of units. The Furlong/Firkin/Fortnight (FFF system is a set of units that uses impractical and outdated measurements

The city of Chicago's street numbering system allots a measure of 800 address units to each mile. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Logically, streets were subsequently laid out 8 to the mile. This means that every block in a typical Chicago neighbourhood (in either North/South or East/West direction but rarely both) is approximately one furlong in length. Salt Lake City's blocks are also each a square furlong in the downtown area. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U However, the blocks are irregular in shape as one moves further out from the centre, but the numbering system remains the same (800 units to each mile) everywhere in Salt Lake County. Salt Lake County is a County located in the US state of Utah. Bus stops in Ann Arbor, Michigan are about a furlong apart. Ann Arbor is a city in the US state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. Blocks in central Logan, Utah, and in large sections of Phoenix, Arizona are similarly a square furlong in extent (eight to a mile, which explains the series of freeway exits: 19th Ave, 27th, 35th, 43rd, 51st, 59th. Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 42670 a substantial increase . . ). City blocks in Melbourne's Hoddle Grid are also one furlong in length. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the streets in the centre of the Central business district of Melbourne.