A fathom is defined as how many feet?

A fathom is defined as how many feet?

• A. 4
• B. 5
• C. 7
• D. 6

Answer: (D)

A fathom is a unit of length used in nautical contexts, defined as six feet. This makes it convenient for sailors to estimate depth with a rope marked in fathoms. Historically it came from the span of outstretched arms, roughly six feet, which allowed depth sounding to be done by hand on deck. One fathom is about 1.8288 meters. So the six-foot value is the standard definition, not four, five, or seven.

A fathom is a unit of length used in nautical contexts, defined as six feet. This makes it convenient for sailors to estimate depth with a rope marked in fathoms. Historically it came from the span of outstretched arms, roughly six feet, which allowed depth sounding to be done by hand on deck. One fathom is about 1.8288 meters. So the six-foot value is the standard definition, not four, five, or seven.