In Fiction
When a measure is converted to another unit in a fiction work like a novel or film, the value often loses meaning (as in numerology) or gets too many significant digits ("40 miles" turns into "64 km"). For this reason, authors sometimes choose numbers that can be converted easily. Most notably, distances measured in miles often begin with 3 or 5, so the value converted to km also has one significant digit (5 or 8).
Read more about this topic: Conversion Of Units
Famous quotes containing the word fiction:
“... if we can imagine the art of fiction come alive and standing in our midst, she would undoubtedly bid us to break her and bully her, as well as honour and love her, for so her youth is renewed and her sovereignty assured.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“... any fiction ... is bound to be transposed autobiography.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)