What is kilometre per second?

Kilometre per second is a unit of speed equal to 1,000 metres per second. It is used in astrophysics, rocket propulsion, and the measurement of planetary and cosmic velocities.

Real-world uses

Kilometres per second is used in astronomy and astrophysics for orbital velocities, galaxy recession speeds, and asteroid approach velocities. Earth orbits the Sun at about 29.78 km/s, and escape velocity from Earth is about 11.2 km/s.

History

Kilometres per second became a standard unit in celestial mechanics and astrophysics during the 20th century. It provides convenient numbers for solar system velocities, while larger cosmic speeds are often expressed as fractions of the speed of light.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the enormous scale—1 km/s = 3,600 km/h. A common error is treating km/s figures as if they were km/h. Also, confusing orbital speed with escape velocity, which are related but different concepts.

What is metre per minute?

Metre per minute is a unit of speed expressing the distance in metres covered in one minute. It is used in industrial machinery, conveyor belt speeds, and slow-motion technical processes.

Real-world uses

Metres per minute is used in manufacturing for conveyor belt speeds, CNC machine feed rates, and surface cutting speeds. Treadmill speeds at low settings may be displayed in m/min. It is also used for walking speed in pedestrian traffic studies.

History

Metres per minute became a practical unit in industrial settings where processes operate too slowly for m/s to give convenient numbers but too fast for m/h. It is particularly entrenched in machining and metalworking standards.

Common mistakes

Confusing metres per minute with metres per second—they differ by a factor of 60. An average walking speed of about 80 m/min equates to roughly 1.33 m/s or 4.8 km/h.

When is this conversion used?

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

Worked examples

1 kilometre per second = 60,000 metre per minute

1 metre per minute = 0.01666667 metre per second

How to convert kilometre per second to metre per minute

To convert kilometre per second to metre per minute, multiply the value by 60,000.

To convert metre per minute back to kilometre per second, multiply by 0.00001667.

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: kilometre per second to metre per minute

kilometre per second	metre per minute
0.1	6,000
0.5	30,000
1	60,000
2	120,000
5	300,000
10	600,000
25	1,500,000
50	3,000,000
100	6,000,000
250	15,000,000
500	30,000,000
1,000	60,000,000

Common values

	kilometre per second	metre per minute
Walking speed	0.0014 kilometre per second	84 metre per minute
City speed limit	0.0139 kilometre per second	834 metre per minute
Highway driving	0.0313 kilometre per second	1,878 metre per minute
Commercial aircraft	0.25 kilometre per second	15,000 metre per minute
Speed of sound (sea level)	0.34029 kilometre per second	20,417.4 metre per minute

Available Speed units

More kilometre per second conversions

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