centimetre per second (cm/s)
1 centimetre per second = 0.01 metres per second
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.
Notes: Metric unit
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.
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.
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.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 0.01
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.
| centimetres per second | metres 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
| centimetres per second | metres per second | |
|---|---|---|
| Walking speed | 140 centimetres per second | 1.4 metres per second |
| City speed limit | 1,390 centimetres per second | 13.9 metres per second |
| Highway driving | 3,130 centimetres per second | 31.3 metres per second |
| Commercial aircraft | 25,000 centimetres per second | 250 metres per second |
| Speed of sound (sea level) | 34,029 centimetres per second | 340.29 metres per second |
Full centimetre per second conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre per second | 1 cm/s = 0.01 m/s | × 0.01 |
| kilometre per hour | 1 cm/s = 0.036 km/h | × 0.036 |
| mile per hour | 1 cm/s = 0.02236936 mph | × 0.02236936 |
| knot | 1 cm/s = 0.01943844 kn | × 0.01943844 |
| foot per second | 1 cm/s = 0.0328084 ft/s | × 0.0328084 |
| metre per minute | 1 cm/s = 0.6 m/min | × 0.6 |
| kilometre per second | 1 cm/s = 0.00001 km/s | × 0.00001 |
| mach (approx at sea level) | 1 cm/s = 0.00002939 Ma | × 0.00002939 |
| mile per minute | 1 cm/s = 0.00037282 mi/min | × 0.00037282 |