How do you convert miles to furlongs?
A mile is eight furlongs, so multiply miles by 8 – 2 miles is 16 furlongs. To go back, divide furlongs by 8.
Type the miles into the Mile to Furlongs calculator and it shows the step by step working underneath the result.
What is a mile?
A mile is an imperial and US unit of length, exactly 1,609.344 meters. The word comes from the Latin mille passus, 'a thousand paces', where a pace was two steps of a marching legionary.
A mile is equivalent to 1760yds or 5280ft.
Road distances in the US and UK are signed in miles, while nearly every other country uses kilometers. Aviation and shipping use the nautical mile instead, which is a different length (1,852 meters).
What is a furlong?
A furlong is 220 yards or 660 feet, which is exactly 201.168 meters. It is an eighth of a mile.
The origin of the term "furlong" can be traced back to Old English, where "furh" meant "furrow" and "lang" meant "long." This reflects the historical use of furlongs in measuring the length of a furrow in agricultural fields. In horse racing, furlongs are used to measure the distance between the starting point and the finish line. A racecourse typically consists of multiple furlongs, with the most common distances being 5 furlongs (5/8 of a mile) and 8 furlongs (1 mile).
Outside the racecourse the furlong has almost gone. British racing still gives distances in miles and furlongs, so a mile and a quarter is written 1m 2f. Road signs don't use it – they give miles and, for short distances, yards.
Why are furlongs used in horse racing?
Horse racing in Britain and Ireland still uses furlongs because the sport never switched to metric. A furlong is 220 yards, an eighth of a mile, and originally the length of a furrow in a ploughed field. Five furlongs, a common sprint distance, is 1,006 meters.
Most race distances are a round number of furlongs – 5 for a sprint, 8 for a mile, 12 for the Derby's mile and a half – so the numbers stay small.