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About these units
Ell (ell)
The ell is a traditional European unit of length, varying between 45–70 cm depending on the region. It originated from the forearm or arm length and became standardized in many countries for measuring cloth and textiles. In commerce, the ell simplified transactions, allowing merchants to describe fabric lengths efficiently. In tailoring, it offered a consistent basis for cutting and patterning clothing. The unit was essential in guild systems, where precision and repeatability in textile production were critical. While largely obsolete today due to the metric system, the ell remains significant for historians, textile scholars, and anyone studying pre-modern European commerce and craft practices.
Megameter (Mm)
The megameter, measuring one million meters (1,000 kilometers), is useful for describing large geographical or geophysical distances on planetary scales. Earth's radius (approximately 6.37 Mm) and the thickness of atmospheric layers can be expressed effectively in megameters. This unit provides a clean and compact way to represent massive distances without resorting to scientific notation. The megameter also appears in discussions of communication signals, satellite orbits, and especially planetary science. While kilometers are still more common in public-facing contexts, megameters offer a more mathematically elegant representation for large calculations. They provide a middle ground between human-scale geography and astronomical units.