How many inches in a centimeter

How many inches in a centimeter? How does the result look? Is it an exact result? Or maybe is there a need to round it off? If you are looking for the answers to these questions, you couldn’t have chosen better.

How many inches is a centimetre? We know this issue can seem a little bit difficult and problematic. But we want to prove to you that it doesn’t have to. It is possible to explain this topic clearly.

It is time to know the answer to the question of how many inches is in a centimeter. It is time to finally understand this issue from A to Z. Are you ready? So let’s start.

Inches and centimeters – comparison

Before we move on to the exact answer to the question of how many inches to centimeter, we want to compare these 2 units. Why? Of course, for your better understanding of this topic.

Both an inch and a centimeter are the units of length. But they are slightly different from each other. In this article, we want to mention 2 differences, the most important in our point of view. This will also explain why you need to know how many inches in a centimeter.

Firstly, they are used in other countries. You can see length given in inches mostly in the US or UK. In turn, the centimeters you can mostly see in continental European countries. It means the knowledge of how many inches to a centimeter is especially useful when you travel a lot (private or business).

Secondly, there is a huge difference in the values of these 2 units. One of them is more than 2.5 times bigger than the other. That’s why it is better to know how many inches in a centimeter. If you won’t be aware of it, you can make a very bad mistake, for instance, when online shopping.

Which of these units is bigger? You will learn it from the next part of the article, in which we give you the value of how many inches to centimeter.

How many inches is in a centimeter – the exact result

As you can see in the subtitle, this issue is quite complex. But don’t worry, we show you the topic of how many inches is in a centimeter as clearly as possible. Let’s move on to the exact result!

The exact value of how many inches in a centimeter looks like this:

• 1 cm = 1/2.54 inch.

So, as you may know now, a centimeter is more than 2.54 times smaller than an inch.

Why is this value given in a fraction? It is caused by there is no decimal notation with a finite number of digits in this case.

It means the fraction we showed you above is the only form of the exact result. In other words, it is the only exact answer to the question of how many inches is in a centimeter.

So does it mean that it is impossible to write this fraction as a decimal notation? Of course not. It is absolutely possible. But remember this result will not be exact.

How to transform this result to decimal notation? We will show you it step by step in the next part down below.

How many inches to centimeters – calculate fraction to decimal notation

A quick reminder of an exact result of how many inches to centimeters in form of fraction: 1/2.54. As you can see, it is a specific kind of fraction. There are not just 2 round numbers. One of them has decimals.

Why do we pay attention to this issue? The calculations will be a little bit complicated to do on your own, so please get your smartphone or just a physical calculator to make them easier and quicker.

So what do you need to do? Just divide 1 by 2.54. Remember – the result has an infinite number of digits in its decimal notation. On your phone or calculator will be shown only a part of the result, it means an approximation.

How will the calculations look? Just like this:

1 / 2.54 ≈ 0.393700787401575

The presented result is only an example, on your smartphone or calculator you can see the result with less or more decimal numbers too.

Is there a need to always calculate the fraction in this way? Of course not. You can just remember the most commonly used approximation of how many inches in a centimeter. How does it look? The answer you will know from the next part of the article.

How many inches is 1 cm – the most commonly used value

So how many inches is 1 cm in approximation? The most commonly used value looks like this:

• 1 cm = 0.393700787 inch.

You can just remember this value and use it to calculate centimeters to inches.

Is it still too many decimals in this version of the answer to how many inches is 1 centimeter? It is possible to use even a shorter result. Have a look:

• 1 cm is how many inches? 0.3937

Of course, you need to remember that this result, rounded off to 4 decimal places, is quite different from the exact result. But, to be honest, even this version will be totally sufficient in everyday life.

How many inches to a centimeter – summary

Now it is time to make a quick summary of how many inches in a centimeter. We gathered all the information mentioned before here. Let’s check how much you remember from this article!

1. What is the exact value of how many inches is in a centimeter? There is exactly 1/2.54 inch in a centimeter.
2. How to calculate the exact result given in a fraction to decimal notation? Divide 1 by 2.54. As follows: 1 / 2.54 ≈ 0.393700787401575.
3. What is the most commonly used approximation of how many inches to a centimeter? It is 0.393700787.
4. What is an easier version of the most commonly used approximation of how many inches is 1 cm? It is 0.3937.

Is the topic of how many inches in a centimeter clear for you now? We hope so. Or even we are sure. Of course, if you read this article carefully.

So now let’s use this knowledge in practice, for instance, to calculate cm to inches. Do you need more instruction to make it on your own? Learn it step by step from the article about cm to inches conversion.