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Article: Geodetic Survey Puts One Foot Behind Another; Difference Is 22 Millionths of an Inch
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 22, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The United States stands on two different feet, one a little
longer than the other.
But according to a National Geodetic Survey announcement in the
Federal Register: not to worry.
The feet in this case are the kind made of inches, and what some
saw as a possible problem arose from the fact that different states
have laws setting different official lengths for the foot. There are
two feet in use and they differ by about 22 millionths of an inch.
"For all practical purposes this isn't going to mean a whole lot
to most people," said James E. Stem of the survey, official keeper of
the country's surveying and mapping standards. "But it does matter to
surveyors and mappers."
The difference ...