What is centimetre per second?

Centimetre per second is a unit of speed used in low-velocity applications such as biological locomotion studies, microfluidics research, and slow-moving mechanical systems.

Real-world uses

Centimetres per second is used in the CGS system for fluid flow rates, sedimentation velocities in geology, and blood flow measurements in medical Doppler ultrasound. Glacier movement and tectonic plate motion are sometimes expressed in cm/s or cm/year.

History

Centimetres per second was the standard velocity unit in the CGS (centimetre-gram-second) system, widely used in physics until the mid-20th century. While SI uses m/s, cm/s persists in certain scientific fields, particularly fluid mechanics and geophysics.

Common mistakes

Confusing cm/s with m/s by forgetting the factor-of-100 difference. Also, assuming cm/s is too small for practical use—blood flow in major arteries is typically 10–40 cm/s, which is a very practical range.

What is metre per second?

Metre per second is the SI unit of speed. It is used in physics, engineering, and scientific contexts to express velocity, and serves as the reference unit for all speed calculations in this converter.

Real-world uses

Metres per second is the SI unit of speed used in physics, engineering, and scientific research. Wind speed in meteorological data, projectile velocities, and fluid flow rates are expressed in m/s. The speed of sound at sea level is approximately 343 m/s.

History

As an SI derived unit, metres per second became the standard scientific speed unit with the adoption of the SI system in 1960. It naturally combines the base units of length (metre) and time (second).

Common mistakes

Forgetting to convert from km/h—divide by 3.6, not by 3.0 or 60. Also, confusing velocity (vector with direction) with speed (scalar magnitude), both expressed in m/s but with different physical meanings.

When is this conversion used?

Converting centimetre per second to metre per second is useful in the speed domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.

Worked examples

1 centimetre per second = 0.01 metre per second

1 metre per second = 1 metre per second

How to convert centimetre per second to metre per second

To convert centimetre per second to metre per second, multiply the value by 0.01.

To convert metre per second back to centimetre per second, multiply by 100.

Measurement standards

The SI unit of speed is metres per second (m/s), a derived unit requiring no independent definition. The knot is defined as exactly one nautical mile (1,852 metres) per hour and is sanctioned for maritime and aeronautical navigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Did you know?

The fastest human-made object is the Parker Solar Probe, which reached 635,266 km/h (about 176 km/s) in 2024 during a close pass of the Sun — fast enough to travel from New York to Tokyo in under a minute.

Quick reference: centimetre per second to metre per second

centimetre per second	metre per second
0.1	0.001
0.5	0.005
1	0.01
2	0.02
5	0.05
10	0.1
25	0.25
50	0.5
100	1
250	2.5
500	5
1,000	10

Common values

	centimetre per second	metre per second
Walking speed	140 centimetre per second	1.4 metre per second
City speed limit	1,390 centimetre per second	13.9 metre per second
Highway driving	3,130 centimetre per second	31.3 metre per second
Commercial aircraft	25,000 centimetre per second	250 metre per second
Speed of sound (sea level)	34,029 centimetre per second	340.29 metre per second

Available Speed units

More centimetre per second conversions

Assumption: Mach uses an approximate sea-level reference (about 340.29 m/s).