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Convert Knots to Metres per second

1 knot is 0.514444 m/s. One knot is exactly 0.514444444444 metres per second.

One knot is 0.51444444 metres per second. To convert knots to metres per second, multiply by 0.51444444; to go the other way, divide by 0.51444444 or multiply by 1.9438445. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. One nautical mile per hour — exactly 1,852 metres per hour.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Metres per second
0.514444 m/s
Knots × 0.51444444
value * 0.5144444444440.514 m/s

1 knot in every speed unit

UnitValueExact factor
metres per second0.5144444444 m/s× 0.514444444444
kilometres per hour1.852 km/h× 1.852
miles per hour1.150779448 mph× 1.15077944802
knots (as entered)1 kn
feet per second1.687809857 ft/s× 1.6878098571

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

How do you convert knots to metres per second?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in knots.
  2. 2.Multiply by 0.51444444 — that is how many metres per second fit in one knot.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 0.51444444, or multiply by 1.9438445.

Knots to metres per second conversion table

KnotsMetres per second
1 kn0.514444 m/s
2 kn1.028889 m/s
3 kn1.543333 m/s
4 kn2.057778 m/s
5 kn2.572222 m/s
6 kn3.086667 m/s
7 kn3.601111 m/s
8 kn4.115556 m/s
9 kn4.63 m/s
10 kn5.144444 m/s
12 kn6.173333 m/s
15 kn7.716667 m/s
20 kn10.288889 m/s
25 kn12.861111 m/s
50 kn25.722222 m/s
100 kn51.444444 m/s

What are knots and metres per second?

Knot (kn)
One nautical mile per hour — exactly 1,852 metres per hour. Used at sea and in the air because a nautical mile is one minute of latitude, which makes navigation arithmetic simple.
Metre per second (m/s)
The SI unit of speed, and the one physics is done in. A brisk walk is about 1.4 m/s.

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — conversion factors for speed

Questions people actually ask

How many metres per second are in a knot?
0.51444444. The SI unit of speed, and the one physics is done in. A brisk walk is about 1.4 m/s.
How do I convert metres per second back to knots?
Divide by 0.51444444, or multiply by 1.9438445 — they are the same operation.

Other speed conversions

Metres per second to knots — the same conversion the other way.

Calculators that work in speed