What's a Cubit?
@AuthorMan:
cubit
a historic unit of distance frequently mentioned in the Bible. The
word comes from the Latin cubitum, "elbow," because the unit
represents the length of a man's forearm from his elbow to the tip of
his outstretched middle finger. This distance tends to be about 18
inches or roughly 45 centimeters. In ancient times, the cubit was
usually defined to equal 24 digits or 6 palms. The Egyptian royal or
"long" cubit, however, was equal to 28 digits or 7 palms. In the
English system, the digit is conventionally identified as 3/4 inch;
this makes the ordinary cubit exactly 18 inches (45.72 centimeters).
The Roman cubit was shorter, about 44.4 centimeters (17.5 inches). The
ordinary Egyptian cubit was just under 45 centimeters, and most
authorities estimate the royal cubit at about 52.35 centimeters (20.61
inches).
- Doctor Sarah, The Math Forum
mathforum.org/dr.mat h/ 4951