How many miles is a 5k

1
How Many Miles Is a 5k

• With everybody following their own system,
  there is a problem aplenty for those who are not
  aware of the conversion between one system and
  the other. Usually, people of a particular field
  or race tend to follow a certain system be it for
  counting or measuring or any other thing. The
  problem arises when people in these closed
  circles interact with others. The system followed
  by each of them need not be the same and hence
  lead to misunderstanding and ultimately chaos.
• Take for example an interaction between a
  person who is used to measuring distance in miles
  and another who is used to measuring it in
  kilometers. First-person says, My house is 5
  kilometers from the bus stop, towards the north
  and 10 kilometers towards the east.

2
Clearly, the second person does not get this is
and asks How many miles is a 5k?. If it happens
that the person knows the conversion factor
between miles and kilometers then well and good,
else the question 5k is how many miles? is an
unanswerable one and the communication fails. You
and I might know the fact that 5 kilometers are
approximately 3.1068 miles, but expecting
everyone to know this is going a bit too much.
Someone else might be laughing at our ignorance
of other such conversion factors.
3
A person normally tends to follow a system that
he is comfortable with or in certain cases is
forced to be comfortable with. As long as he is
in his comfort zone it is well and good. It is
when he is brought out of this comfort zone that
the problems start. Not to worry though. In
today's world of the internet and online media,
everything can be got at the click of a mouse
button. But this has a flip side too.
 The very fact that everything is available so
easily tends to make people lethargic and gives
them the feeling that they need not remember the
conversions as there is always something to fall
back on. This is a completely false notion. The
computer and internet might not always be there
for your rescue. In fact, in most cases all you
have is your own natural computer- the brain to
work with.
Getting to know certain simple things like
conversions will certainly help you in the long
run. If you are a student pursuing the pure
sciences or for that matter any field, you will
have to face such conversions on a daily basis
and a small mistake on your part might undo all
the hard work you had put in till then. Do you
want further guidelines? Check here how many
miles is a 5k.