A meter is a unit of length in the metric system. It was initially defined in 1795 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator along a meridian through Paris. However, the current definition based on the speed of light is more precise.
Answer: A meter is defined as the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 seconds. This distance is approximately equal to 39.37 inches or 3.28 feet.
To put it in mathematical terms:
1 meter = 1/299,792,458 seconds × the speed of light in a vacuum (approximately 299,792,458 meters per second).
A meter is about 39.37 inches or 3.28 feet long.
This definition provides a stable and precise standard for measuring length. The meter is widely used worldwide as the standard unit of length in scientific, engineering, and everyday contexts due to its decimal nature and ease of conversion within the metric system.