What is unit conversion?
Converting a measurement means expressing the same quantity in a
different unit — 12 inches and 30.48 centimeters are the same length
written two ways. Every conversion multiplies by a factor that says
how the two units relate, so nothing about the quantity itself
changes, only its label.
Metric vs. imperial
The metric system scales by tens (millimeter → meter → kilometer),
which makes mental math easy. US customary and imperial units carry
historical ratios — 12 inches to a foot, 16 ounces to a pound — and
although the two families look independent, since 1959 the inch,
pound, and their relatives have been defined exactly in metric terms.
Exact vs. approximate
Some factors are exact by definition: 1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 lb =
0.45359237 kg. Others are inherently approximate — a "cup of flour"
depends on how it is packed, and a month has no fixed number of days.
UnitFlip marks ingredient- and convention-dependent results so you
know which kind you're getting.
How precision is handled
Results are computed in full double precision and displayed to 8
significant figures by default, with trailing zeros trimmed and
scientific notation for extreme magnitudes. You can switch any
converter to fixed decimal places when you need a specific rounding —
see our methodology for details.