Rod (unit)
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A rod, a perch[1] or a pole is a unit of length in the imperial and US systems.
| 1 rod | = 161⁄2 feet |
| = 51⁄2 yards | |
| = 1⁄4 chain | |
| = 5.0292 metres |
In mediæval times English ploughmen used wooden a stick with a pointed tip to spur or guide their oxen. The rod was the length of this stick. In 1607 Edmund Gunter standardised this length.
The rod is still in use as a unit of measure in certain specialised fields. In recreational canoeing, overland paths where canoes must be carried are measured in rods. This is probably because the length of a typical canoe is about one rod. In the United Kingdom, the some gardens are measured in rods.
[edit] Popular culture and trivia
In the episode of The Simpsons entitled A Star is Burns, Grampa Simpson said "My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it!" That's about 1.2 litres per metre, 12 feet per imperial gallon or 10 feet per U.S. gallon.
[edit] Notes
- ^ A perch is also a unit of area of land = 1 square rod, and a unit of cubic measure of stonework, usually = 16.5 feet by 1 foot by 1.5 feet = 24.75 cubic feet.
