For example, in the example above, 6'2", we would multiply 6 feet by 12 inches/foot to get 72 inches total. To this we’ll add the extra two inches from our measurement to get a final value of 74 inches.
This conversion factor will also get you the correct units. Note that the “inches” label in the denominator of the conversion factor cancels with the “inches” label of the value you plug in, leaving only the “centimeters” label in the numerator of the conversion factor for your final answer. Let’s try plugging our example of 74 inches into the conversion factor. (74 inches × 2. 54 centimeters)/(1 inch) (187. 96 inches × centimeters)/(1 inch) We cancel the “inch” labels because they appear once in both the numerator and the denominator, leaving us with a final answer of 187. 96 centimeters.
For example, if we want to know the value of 6 inches in centimeters, we would just multiply 6 × 2. 54 = 15. 24 cm.
For instance, let’s convert 31 inches to centimeters using this quick estimation method: 2. 5 × 30 = 75. 2. 5 × 1 = 2. 5 75 + 2. 5 = 77. 5 centimeters. Note that if we had used the precise conversion factor of 2. 54 centimeters/1 inch, our answer would have been 78. 74 centimeters. These two answers differ by 1. 24 centimeters, or about 1. 5%.
