A pace is a

unit Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...

of length consisting either of one normal

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

step (approximately ), or of a double step, returning to the same foot (approximately ). The normal pace length decreases with age and some health conditions. The word "pace" is also used for units inverse to speed, used mainly for walking and running, commonly ''minutes per kilometer''. The word "pace" is also used to translate similar formal units in other systems of measurement. Pacing is also used as an informal measure in surveying, with the "pace" equal to two of the surveyor's steps reckoned through comparison with a standard rod or chain.

Standardized units

Like other traditional measurements, the pace started as an informal

unit of length A unit of length refers to any arbitrarily chosen and accepted reference standard for measurement of length. The most common units in modern use are the metric units, used in every country globally. In the United States the U.S. customary uni ...

, but was later standardized, often with the specific length set according to a typical brisk or military

marching Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady walking forward in either rhythmic or route-step time; and, typically, it refers to overland movements on foot of military troops and units under field orders. Marching is often performed t ...

stride. In the United States the pace is an uncommon customary unit of length denoting a brisk single step and equal to .''U.S. Army Map Reading and Navigation'', p. 5.8, Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2009 . The Ancient Roman pace ( la, passus) was notionally the distance of a full stride from the position of one heel where it raised off of the ground to where it set down again at the end of the step: two steps, one by each foot. Under Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, it was standardized as the distance of two steps (') or five

Roman feet The ancient Roman units of measurement were primarily founded on the Hellenic system, which in turn was influenced by the Egyptian system and the Mesopotamian system. The Roman units were comparatively consistent and well documented. Length ...

('), about . One thousand paces were described simply as ' or ', now known as a

Roman mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

; this is the origin of the English term "mile". The

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

pace ( grc-gre, βήμα, ''bḗma'') was an adaption of the Roman step, a distance of 2½ Greek feet. The double pace (, ''bḗma diploûn''), meanwhile, was similar to the Roman unit, comprising 5 Greek feet. The Welsh pace ( cy, cam) was reckoned as 3

Welsh feet Welsh units of measurement are those in use in Wales between the Sub-Roman period (prior to which the Britons used Roman units) and the 13th-century Edwardian conquest (after which English units were imposed). Modern Wales no longer employs th ...

of 9 inches and thus may be seen as similar to the English yard: 3 paces made up a leap and 9000 a

Welsh mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

References

Ancient Roman units of measurement Human-based units of measurement Units of length {{Ancient-Rome-stub

Standardized units

See also

References