# Google does unit conversions
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 19, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519 "2005-05-19T01:47:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/1 "2005-05-19T01:47:01Z")
At [Google.com](http://Google.com) enter
2.54 cm to inches
Now [that’s](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=2.54+cm+to+inches&btnG=Google+Search) cool, but try
3 furlongs per fortnight to parsecs per millisecond.
Now [that](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=3+furlongs+per+fortnight+to+parsecs+per+millisecond+&btnG=Google+Search) is really, really cool.
---
### Author:  [@Atheist\_Princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atheist_Princess)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/2 "2005-05-19T01:49:19Z")
Well. Thats cool.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/3 "2005-05-19T01:57:18Z")
Hey, the sign says “Mundane Pointless”, ok?
🙂
---
### Author:  [@Atheist\_Princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atheist_Princess)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/4 "2005-05-19T02:05:00Z")
I was being sincere ☹
---
### Author:  [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/5 "2005-05-19T02:12:56Z")
Next time I want to run a horse to Alpha Centauri that will come in real handy…
And that’s not a flame. 🙂 If it’ll do that obscure conversion, it’ll probably do a lot more helpful ones. Pretty cool!
---
### Author:  [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/6 "2005-05-19T02:15:14Z")
Now that is cool!
I just did the following:
27 miles per gallon to leagues per oz
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/7 "2005-05-19T02:20:13Z")
But it won’t do drams.
---
### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/8 "2005-05-19T02:21:31Z")
> [@Atheist Princess](#):
>
> I was being sincere ☹
I was being facetious. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/9 "2005-05-19T02:25:25Z")
Even if your teacher wants you to do the conversion by hand, it’s useful when you forget the exact number of [whatevers] in a [what have you].
---
### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/10 "2005-05-19T02:50:22Z")
Well my website has a lot of converters:
[http://www.1728.com/indexcon.htm](http://www.1728.com/indexcon.htm)
It does not require a lot of typing unlike a certain search engine that shall remain nameless. Also, my converters don’t use that “from to” foolishness.
And since people were mentioning some velocity problems here’s a handy calculator:
[http://www.1728.com/velocity.htm](http://www.1728.com/velocity.htm)
This will accept 2 of 3 variables (velocity, time or distance - each with 12 units) and calculate the 3rd and output it in 12 units.
Example: You travel for 7 minutes and cover a distance of 4,573 yards. What is your velocity?
9,956.1 millimeters per second
1,959.9 Feet per minute
995.61 centimeters per second
391.97 inches per second …
and so on.
---
### Author:  [@Atheist\_Princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atheist_Princess)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/11 "2005-05-19T03:35:52Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> I was being facetious. 🙂
I was basking in frivolity 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/12 "2005-05-19T03:57:29Z")
What good is it if it can’t convert apples to oranges?
Can’t convert lead into gold, either.
---
### Author:  [@Atheist\_Princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atheist_Princess)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/13 "2005-05-19T03:58:20Z")
How about straw into gold.
Talk to who? Rummplesti…
Oh.
---
### Author:  [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/14 "2005-05-19T04:03:59Z")
Hmph. It won’t convert 40 rods to the hogshead into anything else. I’m not impressed.
---
### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/15 "2005-05-19T04:56:29Z")
You can even do calculations and specify units for the result. For example, a car is travelling at at 45 mph, and you want to know how many meters it travels in one second. Just enter “45 mph \* 1 sec in meter” into Google and you get “20.1168 meter”.
---
### Author:  [@EssOEss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EssOEss)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/16 "2005-05-19T05:19:06Z")
Very cool 🙂 The calculation is extra-neat 😃
---
### Author:  [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/17 "2005-05-19T05:41:14Z")
but but but…
It’s not doing anything when I tell it I want to convert
pi rpm to arcseconds per millisecond
Just a list of links… ☹
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Love)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/18 "2005-05-19T06:53:33Z")
[Oh yeah](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=27+slugs+per+day%5E4+to+kilograms+per+%28fortnight%5E3+%2A+second%29&btnG=Search)
27 slugs per day^4 to kilograms per (fortnight^3 \* second)
---
### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/19 "2005-05-19T13:22:09Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#):
>
> Hmph. It won’t convert 40 rods to the hogshead into anything else. I’m not impressed.
Abe? Is that you?
---
### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519/20 "2005-05-19T22:04:39Z")
And you can do it from any US or UK cell phone with SMS messages.
[http://www.google.com/sms/](http://www.google.com/sms/)
[http://www.google.co.uk/sms/](http://www.google.co.uk/sms/)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-does-unit-conversions/304519.md?page=2)