Knots to meters per second
Type a value in knots to see it in meters per second straight away, or type in the second box to convert back.
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Processing and privacy: The result is calculated inside your browser and your data is not sent to any server.
How to use it
- Type the value in the knots box.
- Read the result in meters per second as you type, and pick the precision you need.
- Swap the direction to convert back, or copy the result.
How it is calculated
m/s = kn × 0.5144444444
Multiply the value in knots by 0.5144444444 to get meters per second.
Example
To convert 25 kn to meters per second: 25 × 0.5144444444 = 12.8611 m/s.
Conversion table
| Knots (kn) | Meters per second (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.514444 |
| 2 | 1.02889 |
| 3 | 1.54333 |
| 5 | 2.57222 |
| 10 | 5.14444 |
| 20 | 10.2889 |
| 25 | 12.8611 |
| 50 | 25.7222 |
| 100 | 51.4444 |
| 250 | 128.611 |
| 500 | 257.222 |
| 1,000 | 514.444 |
About the units
- Knot
- One nautical mile (1852 m) per hour, about 0.514444 m/s. It is the speed unit of aviation, shipping and wind reports.
- Meter per second
- The SI unit of speed: covering a distance of one meter in one second.
Limits and caveats
- Results are rounded for display and computed with the browser's floating point precision (about 15 significant digits).
- Both unit factors are exact by their official definitions.
Questions about this tool
How many meters per second are in one knot?
1 kn = 0.514444 m/s exactly.
How do I convert knots to meters per second?
Use m/s = kn × 0.5144444444. For example, 25 kn = 12.8611 m/s.
How many knots are in one meter per second?
1 m/s = 1.94384 kn.
How do I convert km/h to m/s in my head?
Divide by 3.6, because an hour is 3600 seconds and a kilometer is 1000 meters. For example 72 km/h is 20 m/s; multiply by 3.6 to go back.
Why do Mach values differ between sources?
The speed of sound depends on air temperature. We use 340.294 m/s at sea level and 15 °C; at 11 km altitude it is about 295 m/s, so Mach 1 is slower there.