how tall is one smoot
One smoot is defined as 5 feet 7 inches, which is about 1.70 meters.
Quick Scoop
What is a smoot?
A smoot is a humorous, unofficial unit of length based on the height of Oliver R. Smoot, an MIT student whose body was used to measure the Harvard Bridge between Cambridge and Boston in 1958. His height at the time—5′7″ (about 1.7018 m)—became “one smoot.”
Over time, the joke stuck so well that the markings are still maintained on the bridge, and local police even reference them when describing locations on the span. The unit has since become a bit of engineering folklore and a beloved in-joke in Boston and MIT circles.
Exact height of one smoot
- 1 smoot = 5 feet 7 inches.
- That is 67 inches.
- In metric, it’s about 1.7018 meters (often rounded to 1.7 m).
If you’re 5′7″ tall, you are literally one smoot tall; if you’re, say, 6′2″, you’re about 1.1 smoots.
Fun context and “latest news” flavor
- The Harvard Bridge was measured as 364.4 smoots “± 1 εar” (a playful way to express measurement uncertainty) in the original stunt.
- Google Earth/Google Maps include smoots as an optional distance unit, tucked alongside meters and miles.
- The story still pops up in articles, blogs, and social posts about quirky units of measurement, keeping “how tall is one smoot” a recurring trending topic in geek and forum culture.
“I’m 1.1 smoots tall!” is a common kind of forum joke when people first learn about the unit.
Mini FAQ
- Is a smoot an official scientific unit?
No, it’s informal and humorous, though it’s widely cited in engineering and physics anecdotes.
- Why 5′7″ specifically?
That was Oliver Smoot’s height as a freshman when his fraternity chose him as the “human ruler.”
- Do people use smoots seriously?
Mostly as a joke or cultural reference, but local authorities and mapping tools have used the markings practically to describe positions on the bridge.
TL;DR: One smoot is exactly 5′7″, or about 1.70 m, based on the height of MIT student Oliver Smoot.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.