10 m/s to kn — 10 metres per second in knots
Exact 10 × 1.943844 = 19.438445
10 metres per second in other units
| Kilometres per hour | 36 | km/h |
|---|---|---|
| Miles per hour | 22.369363 | mph |
| Feet per second | 32.808399 | ft/s |
| Knots | 19.438445 | kn |
m/s to kn at a glance
| Metres per second | Knots |
|---|---|
| 1 m/s | 1.943844 kn |
| 2 m/s | 3.887689 kn |
| 3 m/s | 5.831533 kn |
| 5 m/s | 9.719222 kn |
| 10 m/s | 19.438445 kn |
| 20 m/s | 38.87689 kn |
| 25 m/s | 48.596112 kn |
| 50 m/s | 97.192225 kn |
| 100 m/s | 194.384449 kn |
| 250 m/s | 485.961123 kn |
| 500 m/s | 971.922246 kn |
| 1,000 m/s | 1,943.84 kn |
How to convert metres per second to knots
Multiply by 1.943844 — one metre per second is 1.943844 knots. That factor is exact: it comes from the definition of the units rather than from a measurement, so it will not change and does not need rounding.
Working 10 × 1.943844 = 19.438445
In words: about nineteen knots.
What these units are
The metre per second and the knot are covered in the speed unit guide, along with every other unit on this page.
Questions
How many knots are in a metre per second?
One metre per second is 1.943844 knots. This figure is exact — it comes from the definition of the unit, not a measurement.
What is 10 metres per second in knots?
10 metres per second is 19.438445 knots. The working is 10 × 1.943844 = 19.438445.
What is a knot?
One nautical mile per hour — and a nautical mile is one minute of latitude, fixed at exactly 1,852 metres. That is the whole point of it: a ship making 10 knots for six hours has covered one degree of latitude, which you can read straight off a chart without converting anything.
Why do sailors and pilots say "knots" and not "knots per hour"?
Because the "per hour" is already inside the word. A knot is a speed, not a distance, so "knots per hour" would be an acceleration. The name comes from the knotted rope once paid out behind a ship and counted against a sand glass.
What's the quick way to convert mph to km/h in my head?
Multiply by 1.6, or add 60%. For the other direction, take away a third and then a little more. Fifty mph is 80 km/h, 60 is 97, 70 is 113 — worth remembering if you drive across a border where the signs change.
Why isn't Mach on this page?
Because it is not a fixed unit. Mach 1 is the local speed of sound, which falls as air gets colder — around 1,235 km/h at sea level but closer to 1,062 km/h in the stratosphere where airliners cruise. A single conversion factor would be wrong nearly everywhere.