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1 correction found
a two-metre-high (6 ft 5 in) wall of dry stone
The metric-to-imperial conversion is wrong: 2 metres is about 6 ft 6.7 in, usually rounded to 6 ft 7 in, not 6 ft 5 in.
Full reasoning
This is a unit-conversion error in the parenthetical imperial measurement.
NIST gives 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters. Using that official conversion:
- 2 metres = 200 centimeters
- 200 ÷ 2.54 = 78.74 inches
- 78.74 inches = 6 feet 6.74 inches
So 2 metres is approximately 6 ft 7 in, not 6 ft 5 in. The parenthetical value understates the stated height by about 1.74 inches (roughly 4.4 cm).
The underlying historical claim about the wall may be fine; the error is specifically the imperial conversion attached to “two-metre-high.”
2 sources
- Approximate Conversions from U.S. Customary Measures to Metric | NIST
Length ... in inch 2.54 centimeter cm ... When exact unit conversion factors are needed, NIST SP 811, Appendix B is an essential source.
- National Geodetic Survey - Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
What are the official conversions used by NGS to convert 1) meters to inches, and 2) meters to feet? ... It is defined as: 1 meter = 39.37 inches.