mach (approx at sea level) (Ma)
1 mach (approx at sea level) = 340.29 metres per second
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.
Notes: Approximate
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 mach (approx at sea level) 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 mach (approx at sea level) to metre per second
To convert mach (approx at sea level) to metre per second, multiply the value by 340.29.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 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.
| mach (approx at sea level) | metres per second |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 34.029 |
| 0.5 | 170.145 |
| 1 | 340.29 |
| 2 | 680.58 |
| 5 | 1,701.45 |
| 10 | 3,402.9 |
| 25 | 8,507.25 |
| 50 | 17,014.5 |
| 100 | 34,029 |
| 250 | 85,072.5 |
| 500 | 170,145 |
| 1,000 | 340,290 |
Common values
| mach (approx at sea level) | metres per second | |
|---|---|---|
| Walking speed | 0.00411414 mach (approx at sea level) | 1.4 metres per second |
| City speed limit | 0.04084751 mach (approx at sea level) | 13.9 metres per second |
| Highway driving | 0.09198037 mach (approx at sea level) | 31.3 metres per second |
| Commercial aircraft | 0.73466749 mach (approx at sea level) | 250 metres per second |
| Speed of sound (sea level) | 1 mach (approx at sea level) | 340.29 metres per second |
Full mach (approx at sea level) conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre per second | 1 Ma = 340.29 m/s | × 340.29 |
| kilometre per hour | 1 Ma = 1,225.0439999 km/h | × 1,225.0439999 |
| mile per hour | 1 Ma = 761.20705082 mph | × 761.20705082 |
| knot | 1 Ma = 661.47084239 kn | × 661.47084239 |
| foot per second | 1 Ma = 1,116.43700787 ft/s | × 1,116.43700787 |
| metre per minute | 1 Ma = 20,417.4 m/min | × 20,417.4 |
| kilometre per second | 1 Ma = 0.34029 km/s | × 0.34029 |
| centimetre per second | 1 Ma = 34,029 cm/s | × 34,029 |
| mile per minute | 1 Ma = 12.68678418 mi/min | × 12.68678418 |