How many feet are in a mile?

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Question

What is the exact, defined number of feet in one statute mile?

Answer

5,280 feet.

Question

Which other common English system conversion factors are often confused with the feet-to-mile conversion?

Answer

3 feet = 1 yard; 12 inches = 1 foot; 2,000 pounds = 1 short ton. None of these equal a mile.

Question

What is a key characteristic of the English system demonstrated by the 5,280 ft/mi conversion?

Answer

It uses irregular, non-decimal conversion factors (unlike the metric system, which uses powers of 10).

Question

In the English system, what larger unit is the mile related to via the yard, and what is that conversion?

Answer

A mile is related to the yard. 1 mile = 1,760 yards. Since 1 yard = 3 feet, then 1,760 yds * 3 ft/yd = 5,280 ft.

Question

The number 2,000 appears as an option. What English system conversion does it actually represent?

Answer

It represents mass/weight: 2,000 pounds = 1 short ton. It is not a length conversion.

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Is the number of feet in a mile a decimal, easy-to-remember number like 1,000 or 10,000?

There are 5,280 feet in a mile.