Decametre

Decametre
A stack of 12.2-metre-long (1.22-decametre) intermodal containers
General information
Unit system	SI
Unit of	length
Symbol	dam
Conversions
1 dam in ...	... is equal to ...
SI base units	10 m
imperial/US units	10.936 yd 393.70 in

A decametre (International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and by most English speaking countries,^[1][2] United States spelling dekameter or decameter^[3][4]), symbol dam ("da" for the SI prefix deca-,^[1] "m" for the SI unit metre), is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI) equal to ten metres.

While any combination of SI prefix and unit can be used, many are rarely used in practice; the decametre is used less frequently than other units of length. One practical use is for altitude of geopotential heights in meteorology. The volumetric form cubic decametre is convenient for describing large volumes of water such as in rivers and lakes;^{[citation needed]} a volume of one cubic decametre (dam³) is equivalent to a capacity of one megalitre (ML).

One technical atmosphere is the pressure of one decametre of water. Also, the are (a), a metric unit for land area, is equal to one square decametre (dam²).

See also

• Orders of magnitude (length)
• Conversion of units, for comparison with other units

References

1. "Decimal multiples and submultiples of SI units" (8th ed.). SI Brochure: The International System of Units (SI). 2006. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
2. "Unit of length (metre)". SI Brochure: The International System of Units (SI) (8th ed.). 2006. Archived from the original on 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
3. "The Two Classes of SI Units and the SI Prefixes". NIST. The NIST Guide for the Use of the International System of Units. 2008.
4. "Decametre definition and meaning". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 27 July 2020.