5 kn to m/s — 5 knots in metres per second
Exact 5 ÷ 1.943844 = 2.572222
5 knots in other units
| Metres per second | 2.572222 | m/s |
|---|---|---|
| Kilometres per hour | 9.26 | km/h |
| Miles per hour | 5.753897 | mph |
| Feet per second | 8.439049 | ft/s |
kn to m/s at a glance
| Knots | Metres per second |
|---|---|
| 1 kn | 0.51444444 m/s |
| 2 kn | 1.028889 m/s |
| 3 kn | 1.543333 m/s |
| 5 kn | 2.572222 m/s |
| 10 kn | 5.144444 m/s |
| 20 kn | 10.288889 m/s |
| 25 kn | 12.861111 m/s |
| 50 kn | 25.722222 m/s |
| 100 kn | 51.444444 m/s |
| 250 kn | 128.611111 m/s |
| 500 kn | 257.222222 m/s |
| 1,000 kn | 514.444444 m/s |
How to convert knots to metres per second
Multiply by 0.51444444 — one knot is 0.51444444 metres per second. 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 5 ÷ 1.943844 = 2.572222
In words: about three metres per second.
Questions
How many metres per second are in a knot?
One knot is 0.51444444 metres per second. This figure is exact — it comes from the definition of the unit, not a measurement.
What is 5 knots in metres per second?
5 knots is 2.572222 metres per second. The working is 5 ÷ 1.943844 = 2.572222.
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.