What does the speed in 'ma' mean?

[SanBenjamin]

'Ma' is an imperial unit of length, where one 'ma' is approximately equal to 0.9144 meters, or 0.0009144 kilometers. The related introduction is as follows: 1. Origin: A speed of 40 'ma' equals 64 kilometers per hour. The common expression of speed in 'ma' originates from the speed unit 'mile.' One mile per hour is approximately equal to 1.6 kilometers per hour when converted to the metric system. 2. Universal metric system: The internationally accepted metric system means that the commonly mentioned speed of 100 'ma' equals 100 kilometers per hour. When the British say 100 miles, it equals 160 kilometers per hour. In fact, 'mile' refers to 'Mile,' where 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers. Therefore, precisely speaking, 40 miles equal 64 kilometers per hour.

[PeterFitz]

Many experienced drivers around me like to say how many 'yards' the speed is, but in fact, this is a habitual expression. The truth is that 'yard' originally refers to a unit of length, with 1 yard being approximately 0.9 meters. Nowadays, when people say the speed is 80 yards, they actually mean 80 kilometers per hour. This might be a colloquial habit left over from the influence of overseas units in the early years. You should check the unit symbol displayed on your car's dashboard—if it shows km/h, it means kilometers per hour, and if it's mph, it means miles per hour. I remember a friend once said he drove at 120 yards, which was actually speeding. He said he didn't realize the difference between yards and kilometers was so significant.

[DiCecilia]

News often mentions cars speeding up to '180 ma,' but this term is actually imprecise. In the professional automotive field, km/h is the standard unit, where 1 kilometer equals 1000 meters. 'Ma' is an imperial unit, with 1 ma being approximately 0.9 meters. To convert, a speed of 100 ma is actually only about 90 km/h, which is quite a difference. It's recommended to directly check the dashboard numbers while driving, as most domestic cars now display km/h. Last week, while accompanying a beginner driver, he was confused by the navigation's speed limit prompt of '60,' which simply means 60 kilometers per hour.

[Troy]

Actually, saying 'speed in yards' is a misunderstanding. 'Yard' is a transliteration of the foreign unit 'yard,' which refers to a length of 0.914 meters. For example, the penalty spot in soccer is 12 yards from the goal. However, the unit for speed should be kilometers or miles. In our country, the dashboard is marked with km/h. Once, I heard a taxi driver complain that young people said driving at 100 yards was too slow, but when converted, it's just over 90 km/h. It's important to clearly see the road signs and dashboard units—the speed limit of 120 on the highway means 120 kilometers per hour.

[Ben]

Just helped my neighbor uncle figure this out the other day. He said his son always teases him for driving at 60 'ma' (yards) being too slow, but actually 60 'ma' is only about 55 kilometers per hour. The real speed should be read from the dashboard - when the needle points to 100 with 'km/h' marked beside it, that means 100 kilometers per hour. Nowadays, new cars mostly use metric units, even imported vehicles will switch to metric display when entering the domestic market. Never confuse the concepts of 'ma' (yards) and kilometers, otherwise you might wrongfully get a speeding ticket.

[VanBrody]

That's an interesting way of putting it, probably originating from the language habits in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The actual difference is quite significant: 1 yard is 0.914 meters, while 1 kilometer has 1000 meters. So when you hear someone say the speed is 80 yards, the actual speed is roughly around 73 kilometers per hour. The mechanics I know absolutely hate it when customers complain about unstable speed during repairs, only to find out they were describing speed in yards. My advice is to just remember the speed in kilometers—this way, you won't get confused by the speed limit alerts on your navigation and can avoid speeding tickets.