As in the
case of the Danes, the
Norwegians' earliest standards of measure can be derived from their
ship burials. The 60-Norwegian-feet-long
Kvalsund ship (18.8 m; 61.8 ft) was built ca. 700 AD and differs from the
Danish boats less than it does from the
Oseberg,
Gokstad and
Tune ships which all date from ca. 800 AD. Thwarts are typically spaced about 3 Norwegian feet (0.94 m; 3.1 ft) apart.[1]
In 1541, an alen in
Denmark and
Norway was defined by law to be the
Sjællandalen. Subsequently, the alen was defined by law as 2 Rhine feet from 1683. From 1824, the basic unit was defined as a fot being derived from
astronomy as the length of a one-second pendulum times 12/38 at a
latitude of 45°. The
metric system was
introduced in Norway in 1875, with Norway being one of the original signatories of the
meter convention.
Length
skruppel – scruple, 1/12 linje or approx. 0.18 mm.
linje – line, 1/12 tomme or approx. 2.18 mm
tomme – thumb (inch), 1/12 fot, approx. 26.1 mm. This unit was commonly used for measuring timber until the 1970s. Nowadays, the word refers invariably to the
Englishinch, 25.4 mm.
kvarter – quarter, 1/4 alen.
fot – foot, 1/2 alen. From 1824, 313.74 mm.
alen – forearm or
ell, 627.48 mm from 1824, 627.5 mm from 1683, 632.6 mm from 1541. Before that, local variants.
fjerdingsvei – quarter mile, alt. fjerding, 1/4 mil, i.e. 2.82 km.
mil or landmil –
Norwegian mile, spelled miil prior to 1862, 18,000 alen (36,000 feet, 7.018 miles or 11.295 km). Before 1683, a mil was defined as 17600 alen or 11.13 km. Another old land-mile, 11.824 km. The unit survives to this day, but in a
metric 10 km adaptation
rast –lit. "rest", the old name of the mil. A suitable distance between rests when walking. Believed to be approx. 9 km before 1541.
Kaffekok, a similar term to rast used in the north by the indigenous
Sami people.
steinkast – stone's throw, perhaps 25 favner, used to this day as a very approximate measure of a short distance.
Nautical
favn – fathom (pl. favner), 3 alen, 1.85 m
kabellengde –
cable length, 100 favner, 185,2 m, or 1/10 international nautical mile, 185.2 m
kvartmil – quarter mile, 10 kabellengder, 1852 m. Kvartmil was a quarter of a Sjømil.
sjømil – sea mile, now often (but wrongly) the international nautical mile, 1.852 km, but also used for other nautical miles and the geografisk mil. Sjømil was 3950 fathoms.[2]
geografisk mil – 7421 m or 4.007 nautical miles, defined as 1/15 Equatorial degree or 4 minutes of arc.
Area
mål – 100 kvadrat rode, 984 m². The unit survives to this day, but in a 1000 m² adaptation, synonym for the metric
decare (dekar in Norwegian).
kvadrat rode – square stang, 9.84 m²
tønneland – "barrel of land", 4 mål
Volume
favn – 1 alen by 1 favn by 1 favn, 2.232 m³, used for measuring firewood to this day.
As in the
case of the Danes, the
Norwegians' earliest standards of measure can be derived from their
ship burials. The 60-Norwegian-feet-long
Kvalsund ship (18.8 m; 61.8 ft) was built ca. 700 AD and differs from the
Danish boats less than it does from the
Oseberg,
Gokstad and
Tune ships which all date from ca. 800 AD. Thwarts are typically spaced about 3 Norwegian feet (0.94 m; 3.1 ft) apart.[1]
In 1541, an alen in
Denmark and
Norway was defined by law to be the
Sjællandalen. Subsequently, the alen was defined by law as 2 Rhine feet from 1683. From 1824, the basic unit was defined as a fot being derived from
astronomy as the length of a one-second pendulum times 12/38 at a
latitude of 45°. The
metric system was
introduced in Norway in 1875, with Norway being one of the original signatories of the
meter convention.
Length
skruppel – scruple, 1/12 linje or approx. 0.18 mm.
linje – line, 1/12 tomme or approx. 2.18 mm
tomme – thumb (inch), 1/12 fot, approx. 26.1 mm. This unit was commonly used for measuring timber until the 1970s. Nowadays, the word refers invariably to the
Englishinch, 25.4 mm.
kvarter – quarter, 1/4 alen.
fot – foot, 1/2 alen. From 1824, 313.74 mm.
alen – forearm or
ell, 627.48 mm from 1824, 627.5 mm from 1683, 632.6 mm from 1541. Before that, local variants.
fjerdingsvei – quarter mile, alt. fjerding, 1/4 mil, i.e. 2.82 km.
mil or landmil –
Norwegian mile, spelled miil prior to 1862, 18,000 alen (36,000 feet, 7.018 miles or 11.295 km). Before 1683, a mil was defined as 17600 alen or 11.13 km. Another old land-mile, 11.824 km. The unit survives to this day, but in a
metric 10 km adaptation
rast –lit. "rest", the old name of the mil. A suitable distance between rests when walking. Believed to be approx. 9 km before 1541.
Kaffekok, a similar term to rast used in the north by the indigenous
Sami people.
steinkast – stone's throw, perhaps 25 favner, used to this day as a very approximate measure of a short distance.
Nautical
favn – fathom (pl. favner), 3 alen, 1.85 m
kabellengde –
cable length, 100 favner, 185,2 m, or 1/10 international nautical mile, 185.2 m
kvartmil – quarter mile, 10 kabellengder, 1852 m. Kvartmil was a quarter of a Sjømil.
sjømil – sea mile, now often (but wrongly) the international nautical mile, 1.852 km, but also used for other nautical miles and the geografisk mil. Sjømil was 3950 fathoms.[2]
geografisk mil – 7421 m or 4.007 nautical miles, defined as 1/15 Equatorial degree or 4 minutes of arc.
Area
mål – 100 kvadrat rode, 984 m². The unit survives to this day, but in a 1000 m² adaptation, synonym for the metric
decare (dekar in Norwegian).
kvadrat rode – square stang, 9.84 m²
tønneland – "barrel of land", 4 mål
Volume
favn – 1 alen by 1 favn by 1 favn, 2.232 m³, used for measuring firewood to this day.