Speed in meters per second

If you look at the speedometer and see you’re travelling 90 kilometers per hour, it’s also helpful to know how many meters you’re travelling per second. This might help you better understand how fast you’re actually going.

If you want to know how many meters you’re travelling per second, multiply your speed in kilometers per hour by 1000. You then have the number of meters per hour. There are 3600 seconds in an hour. Divide the number of meters per hour by 3600, and you’ll know how many meters per second you’re travelling. Simple, right? Or can it be a bit simpler?

Yes, to calculate approximately how many meters per second you’re travelling, divide your speed by 4. Add 10 per cent of this result to this number. While you won’t know the exact number of meters, you’ll be close.

Let’s calculate this using an example. Suppose you’re travelling 90 kilometers per hour. If you divide 90 by 4, the result is 22.5. Then you take  10 per cent of 22.5, which is 2.25. If you’re driving 90 kilometers per hour, this is 22.5 + 2.25 = 24.75 meters per second. The CBR rounds this up to 25 meters per second.

In this overview, the first column shows the various speeds in kilometers per hour. The second column shows the precise speed in meters per second. The last column displays the speed in meters per second, calculated using a simple formula.