Editing Smoot

{{short description|Non-standard unit of length}}
{{about|the non-standard unit of measure|other uses|Smoot (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox unit
| image = Terminal smoot mark on Harvard Bridge, Boston 2024-07-15.jpg
| caption = "364.4 smoots ± 1 ear" painted on the [[Harvard Bridge]] sidewalk in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
| units1 = [[imperial units|imperial]]/[[US customary units|US]]&nbsp;units
| inunits1 = 5&nbsp;[[foot (unit)|ft]]&nbsp;7&nbsp;[[inch|in]]
| units2 = [[SI units]]
| inunits2 = {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|disp=out|lk=on|sigfig=4}}
| namedafter = [[Oliver R. Smoot]]
}}

The '''smoot''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|m|uː|t}} is a nonstandard, [[List of humorous units of measurement|humorous unit of length]] created as part of an [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] [[Fraternities and sororities#Rushing and pledging|fraternity pledge]] to [[Lambda Chi Alpha]] by [[Oliver R. Smoot]], who in October 1958 lay down repeatedly on the [[Harvard Bridge]] between [[Boston]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], so that his fraternity brothers could use his height to measure the length of the bridge.<ref name="salute">{{cite web |last1=Curran |first1=Susan |date=19 December 2005 |title=Smoot makes his mark in standards and measurements |url=http://web.mit.edu/spotlight/smoot-salute/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620132448/http://www.mit.edu/spotlight/smoot-salute/ |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |access-date=August 13, 2015 |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref>

==Description==
One smoot is equal to Oliver Smoot's height at the time of the pledge, {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m}}. The bridge's length was measured to be {{convert|364.4|sm|ft m}} "± 1 εar" with the "±" showing [[measurement uncertainty]] and spelled with an [[epsilon#Symbol|epsilon]] to further indicate possible error in the measurement.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Durant |first=Elizabeth |date=June 23, 2008 |title=Smoot's Legacy |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2008/06/23/219971/smoots-legacy/ |work=MIT Technology Review |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tavernor |first=Robert |title=Smoot's Ear: The Measure of Humanity |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-300-12492-7 |contribution=Preface |pages=xi–xvi |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/smootsearmeasure0000tave}}</ref> Over the years the "±" portion and "ε" spelling have been left out in many citations, including some markings at the site itself, but the "±" is recorded on a 50th-anniversary plaque at the end of the bridge.<ref name="stone">{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/smoot-0604.html |title=Smoot in Stone |date=June 4, 2009 |work=MIT News |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |access-date=July 20, 2010 |quote=Specifically noting the bridge's length of 364.4 Smoots (+/− 1 ear), the plaque, a gift of the MIT Class of 1962, honors the prank's 50th anniversary.}}</ref>{{Clear}}

==History==
{{Further|Oliver R. Smoot}}
[[File:Harvard Bridge Smoot plaque.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A plaque on [[Harvard Bridge]] on the history of the smoot]]
[[Oliver R. Smoot]] was selected by his [[Lambda Chi Alpha]] fraternity pledgemaster because he was deemed shortest—which made measuring the bridge the most labor-intensive—and he was the "most scientifically named."<ref name=":0" /><ref name="mitnews">{{Cite web |last=Gillooly |first=Patrick |date=2008-09-24 |title=Smoot reflects on his measurement feat as 50th anniversary nears |url=https://news.mit.edu/2008/smoot-tt0924 |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology |language=en}}</ref> Smoot repeatedly lay down on the bridge, let his companions mark his new position in chalk or paint, and then got up again. Eventually, he got tired from so much exercise and was carried thereafter by the fraternity brothers to each new position.<ref name=mithistory>{{cite web |first= Andy |last= Kostoulas |title= This Month In MIT History |url= http://tech.mit.edu/V119/N49/this_week-_49_c.49f.html |work= The Tech |date= October 12, 1999 |access-date= April 18, 2009 |archive-date= May 4, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090504192700/http://tech.mit.edu/V119/N49/this_week-_49_c.49f.html |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name="mitday">{{Cite web |date=4 October 2008 |title=MIT Celebrates 50th Smoot-aversary with Party, Volunteerism, & Plaque |url=http://web.mit.edu/smoot/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref>

Smoot graduated from MIT in 1962, and then attended [[Georgetown University Law Center]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], where he obtained his [[Juris Doctor]]. He served as chairman of the [[American National Standards Institute]] from 2001 to 2002,<ref>{{citation |title=Speakers Bureau: Oliver R. Smoot |url=https://www.ansi.org/other_services/speakers_bureau/smoot.aspx?menuid=10 |access-date=July 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030222102511/https://www.ansi.org/other_services/speakers_bureau/smoot.aspx?menuid=10 |archive-date=22 February 2003 |publisher=American National Standards Institute}}</ref> and then as president of the [[International Organization for Standardization]] from 2003 to 2004.<ref name="salute" /><ref>{{citation|url=https://share.ansi.org/shared%20documents/News%20and%20Publications/Speeches/Congressional%20Reception%20-%2002-26-03-final%20remarks.pdf|title=ANSI Reception Honoring Oliver R. Smoot as ISO President|date=February 26, 2003}}</ref> Neither organization has provided a standard value for the smoot.

Public knowledge and interest in the story began when ''[[Holiday (magazine)|Holiday]]'' investigated the marks on the bridge years later, and published an interview with Smoot.<ref name="mitnews" /> The prank's fiftieth anniversary was commemorated on October 4, 2008 as Smoot Celebration Day at MIT, which Smoot attended.<ref name=mitday />

A 2016 [[April Fools' Day]] article by the MIT Alumni Association announced that MIT would recalibrate the smoot to {{convert|65.7500|in|m|5}} and the ear to {{convert|2.48031|in|mm|6}}, and the bridge would thus be 372 smoots, give or take 11 ears.<ref name="slice">{{citation|url=https://alum.mit.edu/slice/mit-recalibrate-smoot|title=MIT to Recalibrate the Smoot|date=April 1, 2016|work=Slice of MIT|publisher=MIT Alumni Association|first=Jay|last=London|access-date=July 10, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:100Smoots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|100-smoot mark with the [[Charles River]] and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] in the background]]
On May 7, 2016, Smoot served as [[parade#Parade grand marshals|grand marshal]] of the alumni parade across the bridge, celebrating the 100th anniversary of MIT's move from [[Boston]] to [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]].<ref name="fleming">{{cite news |url= https://www.bostonglobe.com/2016/05/07/mit-celebrate-century-cambridge-today/yArGeYQ1dr5NDfsVR3MimO/story.html |title= By land and by water, MIT celebrates 100 years in Cambridge |last= Fleming |first= Nicole |date= May 7, 2016 |work= Boston Globe |access-date= May 9, 2016}}</ref>

==Practical use==
The bridge is marked with painted markings indicating how many smoots there are from where the sidewalk begins on the [[Charles River]] bank in Boston, with a number every ten smoots.<ref name="museum">{{citation |url=http://web.mit.edu/museum/fun/smoots.html |title=MIT Trivia: Harvard Bridge |access-date=July 10, 2020 |publisher=MIT Museum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970806205154/http://web.mit.edu/museum/fun/smoots.html |archive-date=August 6, 1997}}</ref> The marks were repainted each semester by the incoming associate member class (similar to pledge class) of Lambda Chi Alpha before they were suspended due to repeated infractions of MIT's alcohol rules.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.mit.edu/2014/lambda-chi-alpha-national-suspends-mit-chapter-1030 |title=Lambda Chi Alpha national suspends MIT chapter for at least five years |date=October 30, 2014 |publisher=MIT News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thetech.com/2014/10/31/lca-v134-n51 | title=LCA banned five years, brothers move out Sunday }}</ref><ref name=haer3>{{cite book |author= Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) |title= Harvard Bridge, Spanning Charles River at Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Suffolk County, MA |url= https://loc.gov/pictures/item/ma1293/ |access-date= May 12, 2009 |year= 1987 |publisher= Department of the Interior |location= Philadelphia |page= 5}}</ref> Lambda Chi Alpha alumni, along with current students of MIT, have maintained the markings.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title=Repainting the Smoots |url=https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/repainting-the-smoots/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=MIT Admissions |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-09-20 |title=Uncovering The 'Smoots' on Harvard Bridge |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/uncovering-the-smoots-on-harvard-bridge/2494759/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=NBC Boston |language=en-US}}</ref>

Markings typically appear every {{convert|10|smoot|ft m}}, but additional marks appear at other numbers in between. For example, the {{convert|70|smoot|ft m|adj=on}} mark is accompanied by a mark for [[69 (number)|69]].  The {{convert|182.2|smoot|ftin m|adj=on}} mark is accompanied by the words "Halfway to Hell" and an arrow pointing towards MIT. 

The markings are recognized as [[milestone]]s on the bridge, to the degree that during bridge renovations in the 1980s, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department requested that the markings be restored, since they were routinely used in police reports to identify locations on the bridge. The renovators at the [[Massachusetts Highway Department]] also scored the concrete surface of the sidewalk on the bridge at {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|adj=on}} intervals instead of the conventional {{convert|6|ft|m|2}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/07/AR2005120702328_pf.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=The Measure of This Man Is in the Smoot |first=David A. |last=Fahrenthold |access-date=May 23, 2010}}</ref> The Lambda Zeta (MIT) chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha, which created the smoot markings, continues to repaint the markings once or twice per year.<ref>[https://news.mit.edu/1999/hacks-0901 Keyser describes his top five hacks - MIT News Office]</ref>

Starting in 2011, [[Google Earth]] enabled the ability to measure distance using smoots, with the standard length of 5 feet 7 inches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google Earth backs Smoots as measurement standard {{!}} Blue Mass Group |url=https://bluemassgroup.com/2011/10/google-earth-backs-smoots-as-measurement-standard/ |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=bluemassgroup.com |date=October 10, 2011 |language=en-US}}</ref> The calculator function of [[Google Search]] also provides values in smoots,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/10/05/141009438/whats-a-smoot |title=What's a Smoot |author=Benjamin Arthur and Robert Krulwich |date=October 5, 2011 |publisher=NPR |accessdate=February 9, 2025}}</ref> and in 2011, smoot was one of the 10,000 new words added to the fifth edition of ''[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|The American Heritage Dictionary]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cornish |first=Audie |date=November 13, 2011 |title=Looking Up Words In A Book Not So Strange Yet |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/11/13/142284657/looking-up-words-in-a-book-not-so-strange-yet |access-date=December 10, 2012 |work=NPR |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=American Heritage Dictionary entry: smoot |url=http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=smoot&submit.x=47&submit.y=23 |access-date=December 10, 2012 |work=American Heritage Dictionary |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company}}</ref> Robert Tavenor's book covering the history of measurement is titled ''Smoot's Ear: The Measure of Humanity''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tavenor |first=Robert |title=Smoot's Ear: The Measure of Humanity |year=2008 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300143348 |page=xv-xvi}}</ref> MIT's student-run [[college radio]] station [[WMBR]] gives its broadcasting wavelength as {{convert|2|smoot|m|2|spell=in}}, i.e. 88.1&nbsp;MHz.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=wacnt|number=874778755885084673|title= W{{!}}A can: WMBR frequency * smoot / speed of light|author=Wolfram{{!}}Alpha Can't|date= June 13, 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Massachusetts|United States}}
* [[List of unusual units of measurement]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Harvard Bridge Smoot measurements}}
* [https://aether.lbl.gov/www/personnel/smoot/smoot-measure.html The smoot as a unit of length]
*{{cite web |title= smoot |url= https://www.sizes.com/units/smoot.htm |publisher= Sizes.com |access-date= July 8, 2010}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130731220025/http://lambda-chi.mit.edu/History.aspx#smoots The Smoot story, in Oliver Smoot's own words]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970806205154/http://web.mit.edu/museum/fun/smoots.html |date=August 6, 1997 |title=MIT Museum article, with photos}}
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5043041 A December, 2005 National Public Radio Interview with Oliver Smoot upon his retirement]

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[[Category:1958 introductions]]
[[Category:Eponyms]]
[[Category:Human-based units of measurement]]
[[Category:Lambda Chi Alpha]]
[[Category:Massachusetts culture]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology student life]]
[[Category:Units of length]]
[[Category:University folklore]]
[[Category:Fraternity and sorority culture]]