Convert knots to metres per second

One knot is 0.514444444 metres per second. To convert any amount, multiply by 0.514444444. Going the other way, one metre per second is 1.94384449 knots.

Multiply the knot figure by 0.514444444. So m/s = kn × 0.514444444. For a quick mental estimate, dividing by about 1.94 gets you close enough for most everyday purposes.

One knot is a cruising sailboat does about 6 knots. A knot is one nautical mile per hour. It is the standard for marine and air navigation because it maps directly onto latitude on a chart.

One metre per second is about walking pace is 1.4 m/s. Metres per second is the SI unit and the one physics uses, because it composes cleanly with the other base units. Wind speeds in meteorology are often reported this way.

Because a nautical mile was defined as one minute of latitude, so it maps directly onto a chart — one degree of latitude is 60 nautical miles anywhere on Earth. That makes navigation arithmetic straightforward in a way statute miles or kilometres never could. It is now fixed at exactly 1,852 metres, which keeps that relationship near enough for practical purposes.

Yes. Since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, the imperial and metric systems are related by exact definitions rather than measurements — the inch is exactly 25.4 mm and the pound exactly 0.45359237 kg. Everything derived from those, including this conversion, is therefore exact. Round at the end rather than partway through, since rounding kn before converting introduces an error the conversion then multiplies.