A Doctor of Philosophy degree (often abbreviated Ph.D. , PhD, D.Phil. , or DPhil) or a Doctorate of Philosophy, from the Latin Doctor Philosophiae, is a type of doctorate awarded by universities in many countries. Doctor of Philosophy degree (often abbreviated Ph.D. , PhD, D.Phil. , or DPhil) or a Doctorate of Philosophy, from the Latin Doctor Philosophiae, is a type of doctorate awarded by universities in many countries.
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, or 10 chains. Using the international definition of the inch as exactly 25.4 millimetres, one furlong is 201.168 metres.
This was not very convenient, but 5.5 yards happened to be the length of the rod as measured by the 12-inch foot, so nothing could be done about it. In the Saxon land-measuring system, 40 rods make a furlong (fuhrlang), the length of the traditional furrow (fuhr) as plowed by ox teams on Saxon farms.