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.

What is mach (approx at sea level)?

Mach is a dimensionless speed unit expressing the ratio of an object’s speed to the local speed of sound. At sea level, Mach 1 is approximately 343 m/s. It is used in aviation and aerodynamics to characterise high-speed flight regimes.

Real-world uses

Mach numbers are used in aerospace engineering and aviation to describe aircraft speed relative to the speed of sound. Commercial jets cruise near Mach 0.85, military fighters reach Mach 2+, and hypersonic vehicles exceed Mach 5.

History

Named after Austrian physicist Ernst Mach, who studied supersonic projectiles in the 1880s. The Mach number was formally defined by Swiss engineer Jakob Ackeret in 1929. Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier (Mach 1) in 1947 in the Bell X-1.

Common mistakes

Treating Mach as a fixed speed—it varies with altitude and temperature because the speed of sound changes. Mach 1 is about 343 m/s at sea level (15°C) but about 295 m/s at 11,000 m altitude.

When is this conversion used?

Converting metre per second to mach (approx at sea level) is useful in the speed domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.

Worked examples

1 metre per second = 0.00293867 mach (approx at sea level)

1 mach (approx at sea level) = 340.29 metre per second

How to convert metre per second to mach (approx at sea level)

To convert metre per second to mach (approx at sea level), multiply the value by 0.00293867.

To convert mach (approx at sea level) back to metre per second, multiply by 340.29.

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: metre per second to mach (approx at sea level)

metre per second	mach (approx at sea level)
0.1	0.00029387
0.5	0.00146933
1	0.00293867
2	0.00587734
5	0.01469335
10	0.0293867
25	0.07346675
50	0.1469335
100	0.293867
250	0.73466749
500	1.46933498
1,000	2.93866996

Common values

	metre per second	mach (approx at sea level)
Walking speed	1.4 metre per second	0.00411414 mach (approx at sea level)
City speed limit	13.9 metre per second	0.04084751 mach (approx at sea level)
Highway driving	31.3 metre per second	0.09198037 mach (approx at sea level)
Commercial aircraft	250 metre per second	0.73466749 mach (approx at sea level)
Speed of sound (sea level)	340.29 metre per second	1 mach (approx at sea level)

Available Speed units

More metre per second conversions

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