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Convert km to miles

Interactive kilometers to miles conversion tool

The km to miles converter below can be used to quickly and easily convert kilometers to miles. Simply enter the number of kilometers you want to convert and the calculator will output the corresponding value in miles.

What is the conversion factor between kilometers and miles?

A conversion factor is used to change the units of a measured quantity without changing its value. It represents the ratio (or fraction) that expresses the relationship between two different units. A conversion factor is always equal to 1.

The relationship between kilometers and miles is 1.609344, such as:

Following the formula above, we can see that there are 1.609344 kilometers for every mile, and for every kilometer, there are 11.609344 miles (0.621371 mi).

To convert from kilometers to miles, we turn our formula into a conversion factor that is equal to 1.

Both these fractions are equal to 1. The numerator and the denominator are equivalent, they are just expressed in different units.

Because we are converting from kilometer to mile, we will use the first fraction: 1 mi1.609344 km so that kilometers are canceled out. We then multiply the value in kilometers by this fraction to get the result in miles (see example).

Note that km is in the denominator (bottom) of the conversion factor. This is important, you always want to have the unit you are converting from at the bottom and the unit you are converting to in the numerator (top).

You will find below how to use this ratio to convert from km to mi. Just remember for now that the conversion factor for converting from kilometers to miles is:

Which is bigger, a kilometer or a mile?

When it comes to measurements, there can be some confusion over which is bigger, a kilometer or an mile. To find out which one is larger, we must first convert one unit to the other and then compare them.

• 1 km = 11.609344 mi = 0.6213711922 mi
• 0.621371 mile is smaller than 1 mile.
• 1 kilometer is, therefore, smaller than 1 mile.
• To be more specific, a mile is 1.60934 times bigger than a kilometer.

kilometers to miles conversion table

How to convert kilometers to miles?

Multiplying any value by 1 will get you the same value back. You can do that one time or multiple times.

For example:

• 88 x 1 = 88
• 223 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 223

Multiplying by 1 is the first step in any unit conversion problem. The second step is to replace the number 1 with the conversion factor that is also equal to 1.

For example, if we want to convert 1609.34 kilometers into miles we multiply 1609.34 km by the conversion factor of 1 mi1.609344 km

By replacing the number 1 with the conversion factor, kilometers are canceled out and we get the result in miles. And since the conversion factor is equal to 1, multiplying it with the original value won't change its magnitude and will only change its unit.

Based on this, we can conclude that 1609.34 kilometers are equal to 999.998 miles.

Remember:

• When converting from kilometers to miles, we use 1 mi1.609344 km as a conversion factor.

Practice: kilometers to miles conversion

Try answering the following questions without using our custom conversion calculator. Knowing how to convert manually between kilometers and miles could prove to be useful, so give it a shot. Once you are confident you can convert kilometers to miles, there is no harm then in taking full advantage of the tools available to you.

How to convert 78 kilometers to miles?

We multiply 78 by the factor of 1

We replace the number 1 with the conversion factor for kilometers to miles

We multiply 78 kilometers by the conversion factor. Having kilometers in the denominator allows us to cancel out the undesired units (km) leaving only miles in the final result.

Answer: There are 48.467 miles in 78 kilometers

How many miles are in 245 kilometers?

Multiply 245 by the conversion factor. Make sure the unwanted unit (km) is in the denominator.

This allows us to cancel out the kilometers (km) and leave the miles (mi)

Answer: There are 152.236 miles in 245 kilometers

miles to kilometers conversion

• 1 mi = 1.609344 km
• To convert from miles to kilometers use our miles to km converter

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