Convert Knots to Feet per Second
Convert Knots to Feet per Second instantly. 1 Knot (kn) equals 1.6878 Feet per Second (ft/s).
Knots to Feet per Second conversion table
| Knots (kn) | Feet per Second (ft/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 kn | 1.6878 ft/s |
| 2 kn | 3.3756 ft/s |
| 3 kn | 5.0634 ft/s |
| 5 kn | 8.439 ft/s |
| 10 kn | 16.8781 ft/s |
| 20 kn | 33.7562 ft/s |
| 50 kn | 84.3905 ft/s |
| 100 kn | 168.781 ft/s |
| 500 kn | 843.9049 ft/s |
| 1,000 kn | 1,687.81 ft/s |
1 Knot = 1.6878 Feet per Second · multiply Knots by 1.6878
About converting Knots to Feet per Second
Knots (kn) and Feet per Second (ft/s) are both units of speed, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Knots figure by 1.6878. Ten Knots comes to 16.8781 Feet per Second, and a hundred works out at 168.781 Feet per Second.
Rule of thumb: going from Knots to Feet per Second multiplies, so the figure always grows — one Knot is already 1.6878 Feet per Second. If your answer came out smaller, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, and it is the speed unit of ships and aircraft worldwide no matter what the countries underneath use on their roads. The name is entirely literal: sailors measured speed with a chip log — a weighted board on a rope with knots tied at regular intervals, thrown over the stern and paid out for a fixed time while someone counted the knots running through their hands. It survives because it pairs with the nautical mile, which is one minute of latitude, so speed and chart distance share a ruler. One warning: "knots per hour" is simply wrong. The per-hour is already inside the word.
What is a Foot per Second?
Feet per second is a working unit rather than a public one. It appears wherever American engineering needs a speed that pairs with dimensions already given in feet — conveyor and belt speeds, water flowing in a channel, air velocity in a duct — and above all in ballistics, where muzzle velocity has always been quoted in ft/s. It is also the unit US physics problems fall back on when they are posed in imperial, so it feels oddly familiar to anyone who learned mechanics from an American textbook. On a road sign it appears essentially never.
To put both in perspective: a cruising airliner does around 470 knots, while a rifle bullet leaves the muzzle at roughly 3,000 feet per second.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Feet per Second to Knots converter, or browse all Speed converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Feet per Second are in one Knot?
There are 1.6878 Feet per Second in one Knot.
How do I convert Knots to Feet per Second?
Multiply the number of Knots by 1.6878. For example, 10 Knots = 16.8781 Feet per Second.
What is 100 Knots in Feet per Second?
100 Knots is equal to 168.781 Feet per Second.
How do I convert Feet per Second to Knots?
Multiply the Feet per Second value by 0.5925 (or divide by 1.6878).
Is this Knots to Feet per Second conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Knots and Feet per Second are both fixed against the same base by international agreement — but the decimal shown here is rounded for readability, because the true ratio does not terminate. For engineering or scientific work, carry more decimal places than this page displays.
What is a Knot?
The knot is one nautical mile per hour, and it is the speed unit of ships and aircraft worldwide no matter what the countries underneath use on their roads. The name is entirely literal: sailors measured speed with a chip log — a weighted board on a rope with knots tied at regular intervals, thrown over the stern and paid out for a fixed time while someone counted the knots running through their hands. It survives because it pairs with the nautical mile, which is one minute of latitude, so speed and chart distance share a ruler. One warning: "knots per hour" is simply wrong. The per-hour is already inside the word.
What is a Foot per Second?
Feet per second is a working unit rather than a public one. It appears wherever American engineering needs a speed that pairs with dimensions already given in feet — conveyor and belt speeds, water flowing in a channel, air velocity in a duct — and above all in ballistics, where muzzle velocity has always been quoted in ft/s. It is also the unit US physics problems fall back on when they are posed in imperial, so it feels oddly familiar to anyone who learned mechanics from an American textbook. On a road sign it appears essentially never.