answersLogoWhite

0

Oddly enough, an acre was not defined as a square, but as a rectangle -- for example a long, thin parcel of farmland that would be plowed in long furrows.

It is 1/640th of a square mile, or 4840 square yards, or 43560 square feet.

The simplest designation uses the obsolete units chain (66 feet) and furlong (660 feet or 10 chains or 1/8 mile). Thus an acre is 1 chain by 1 furlong, or 10 square chains, and may have been established as about a day's plowing for an ox.

The 1/640th of a mile can be seen in that there are 80 chains to a mile and 8 furlongs to a mile, a unit still seen in various horse race distances today.

The SI unit comparable to the acre is a hectare (10000 m2), which is about 2.47 acres.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

Still curious? Ask our experts.

Chat with our AI personalities

ProfessorProfessor
I will give you the most educated answer.
Chat with Professor
EzraEzra
Faith is not about having all the answers, but learning to ask the right questions.
Chat with Ezra
JordanJordan
Looking for a career mentor? I've seen my fair share of shake-ups.
Chat with Jordan

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What is an acre equal to?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp