What is a pica and where is it commonly used?

A pica is a typographic unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 inch, used mainly in typography, page layout, and digital typesetting.

What is the US survey fathom used for?

The US survey fathom measures water depths, anchor cables, and mooring lines in nautical and hydrographic contexts.

Can I use this conversion for general length measurement?

This conversion is specialized and mainly useful when working between typographic and nautical measurement systems, especially in archival or marine surveying contexts.

Convert Pica to Fathom (US survey) [fath] Easily Online

Use our online converter tool to transform length measurements from pica, a typographic unit, into fathom (US survey), a nautical length unit accurately and quickly.

Pica

Fathom (US survey) [fath]

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Pica to Fathom (US survey) [fath] Conversion Table

Pica	Fathom (US survey) [fath]

Custom Unit Conversion Table Generator – Instant Printable Conversion Tables

Start Value

Enter the starting number (positive decimal or integer ≥ 0). Example: 0.1, 1, 5.

End Value

Enter the ending number (positive decimal or integer > Start Value). Example: 10, 50, 100.

Interval

Enter the step size (positive decimal > 0 and < End Value – Start Value). Example: 1.0, 2.5.

Pica to Fathom (US survey) [fath] Conversion Table
Pica	Fathom (US survey) [fath]

Explore More Length Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This tool converts length values from pica, used mainly in typography and page layout, to the US survey fathom, a nautical measurement unit employed for water depths and maritime purposes.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the length value in picas that you want to convert.
Choose pica as the input unit and fathom (US survey) [fath] as the output unit.
Click the convert button to get the equivalent length in fathoms.

Key Features

Converts between typographic unit pica and maritime unit fathom (US survey).
Provides accurate conversions using the specific conversion factor for these units.
Browser-based and easy to use for interdisciplinary measurement needs.

Examples

10 Picas converts to 0.023148102 Fathoms (US survey).
100 Picas converts to 0.23148102 Fathoms (US survey).

Common Use Cases

Translating typographic dimensions into nautical lengths for marine navigation and charting.
Reconciling legacy survey data using US survey units with modern measurements.
Converting layout measurements to be compatible with hydrographic or maritime data.

Tips & Best Practices

Ensure you understand that pica is a small typographic unit while fathom is a much larger maritime unit.
Use this tool primarily in contexts combining typography with nautical or hydrographic measurements.
Take care when comparing results with international fathom units due to slight differences.

Limitations

Conversions yield very small decimal values because of the large difference in unit sizes.
The US survey fathom differs slightly from the international fathom, affecting some conversions.
Limited practical application outside specific interdisciplinary or archival uses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a pica and where is it commonly used?: A pica is a typographic unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 inch, used mainly in typography, page layout, and digital typesetting.
What is the US survey fathom used for?: The US survey fathom measures water depths, anchor cables, and mooring lines in nautical and hydrographic contexts.
Can I use this conversion for general length measurement?: This conversion is specialized and mainly useful when working between typographic and nautical measurement systems, especially in archival or marine surveying contexts.

Key Terminology

Pica: A typographic unit of length equal to 12 points or 1/6 inch, commonly used in typography and layout.
US survey fathom [fath]: A non-SI length unit equal to 6 US survey feet, used primarily in hydrography and nautical measurement.

Quick Knowledge Check

Which measurement is the pica primarily used for?

Maritime water depths

Typographic and page layout lengths

Nautical cable lengths

What does the US survey fathom measure?

Page margins in publishing

Water depths and nautical distances

Font sizes in digital typesetting

Why might conversions between pica and fathom yield very small numbers?

Because fathom is much smaller than pica

Because pica is a small typographic unit and fathom is a much larger maritime unit

Because they are both similar in size

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