Feet Per Second to Mach
Converter

Conversion Table

How to convert

1 foot per second (fps) = 0.000895715 mach (M). Foot Per Second (fps) is a unit of Speed used in Standard system. Mach (M) is a unit of Speed used in Metric system.

Feet per second: A unit of speed

Feet per second (ft/s) is a unit of speed or velocity in the US customary and imperial systems. It measures how fast an object is moving by calculating the distance traveled in feet divided by the time taken in seconds. For example, if a person walks 10 feet in 2 seconds, their speed is 5 ft/s.

How to convert feet per second

Feet per second can be converted to other units of speed or velocity by using simple conversion factors. Here are some common units and their conversion factors:

• Meters per second (m/s): To convert from ft/s to m/s, multiply by 0.3048. To convert from m/s to ft/s, divide by 0.3048. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 0.3048 m/s, and 10 m/s is equal to 32.8084 ft/s.
• Kilometers per hour (km/h): To convert from ft/s to km/h, multiply by 1.09728. To convert from km/h to ft/s, divide by 1.09728. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 1.09728 km/h, and 50 km/h is equal to 45.8734 ft/s.
• Miles per hour (mph): To convert from ft/s to mph, multiply by 0.681818. To convert from mph to ft/s, divide by 0.681818. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 0.681818 mph, and 30 mph is equal to 44 ft/s.
• Knots (kn): To convert from ft/s to kn, multiply by 0.592484. To convert from kn to ft/s, divide by 0.592484. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 0.592484 kn, and 15 kn is equal to 25.3281 ft/s.
• Inches per second (in/s): To convert from ft/s to in/s, multiply by 12. To convert from in/s to ft/s, divide by 12. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 12 in/s, and 20 in/s is equal to 1.66667 ft/s.
• Miles per second (mi/s): To convert from ft/s to mi/s, multiply by 0.000189394. To convert from mi/s to ft/s, divide by 0.000189394. For example, 1 ft/s is equal to 0.000189394 mi/s, and 1 mi/s is equal to 5280 ft/s.

Where feet per second are used

Feet per second are mainly used in engineering and aviation to measure the speed or velocity of machines and aircrafts.

For example, the speed of sound in air at sea level is about 343 m/s or about 1125 ft/s.

The maximum speed of a Boeing 747 jet airliner is about 988 km/h or about 2717 ft/s.

The average speed of a bullet fired from a handgun is about 1200 ft/s.

Definition of feet per second

According to the US customary and imperial systems definition, one foot per second is the speed of a body that covers a distance of one foot in a time of one second.

Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

v = s / t

where v is the speed or velocity in feet per second, s is the distance traveled in feet, and t is the time taken in seconds.

History of feet per second

The concept of speed or velocity has been studied since ancient times by philosophers and scientists such as Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, etc.

The foot was originally derived from the Roman foot which was defined as one third of a yard or about 11.65 inches.

The second was originally defined in terms of the Earth’s rotation as one eighty-six thousand four hundredth of a mean solar day.

The combination of these two units resulted in the foot per second as a unit of speed or velocity.

The foot per second was officially adopted as part of the US customary and imperial systems in the late 18th century.

Example conversions of feet per second to other units

Here are some examples of converting feet per second to other units of speed or velocity:

1 ft/s = 0.3048 m/s = 1.09728 km/h = 0.681818 mph = 0.592484 kn = 12 in/s = 0.000189394 mi/s
2 ft/s = 0.6096 m/s = 2.19456 km/h = 1.36364 mph = 1.18497 kn = 24 in/s = 0.000378788 mi/s
5 ft/s = 1.524 m/s = 5.4864 km/h = 3.40909 mph = 2.96241 kn = 60 in/s = 0.00094697 mi/s
10 ft/s = 3.048 m/s = 10.9728 km/h = 6.81818 mph = 5.92482 kn = 120 in/s = 0.00189394 mi/s
20 ft/s = 6.096 m/s = 21.9456 km/h = 13.6364 mph = 11.8496 kn = 240 in/s = 0.00378788 mi/s
50 ft/s = 15.24 m/s = 54.864 km/h = 34.0909 mph = 29.6241 kn = 600 in/s = 0.0094697 mi/s
100 ft/s = 30.48 m/s = 109.728 km/h = 68.1818 mph = 59.2482 kn = 1200 in/s = 0.0189394 mi/s

Mach number

Definition of Mach

Mach, commonly denoted M or Ma, is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a boundary to the local speed of sound. It is named after the Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach, who studied gas dynamics and shock waves. Mach number is used to classify the flow regimes based on the effects of compressibility and shock waves on the flow.

How to Convert Mach

To convert mach to other units of speed, we need to multiply by the local speed of sound in the medium, which depends on the temperature and pressure of the gas. For example, to convert mach to meters per second, we need to multiply by the speed of sound in air at sea level, which is about 340 m/s. To convert mach to kilometers per hour, we need to multiply by the speed of sound in air at sea level and by 3.6, since there are 3.6 seconds in one hour.

Here are some examples of how to convert mach to other units of length in the US Standard system and the SI system:

• To convert 1 M to meters per second (m/s), we multiply by 340: 1 M x 340 = 340 m/s
• To convert 2 M to kilometers per hour (km/h), we multiply by 340 and by 3.6: 2 M x 340 x 3.6 = 2448 km/h
• To convert 3 M to miles per hour (mph), we multiply by 340 and by 2.2369362920544, since there are 2.2369362920544 miles in one kilometer: 3 M x 340 x 2.2369362920544 = 2285.714285714 mph
• To convert 4 M to feet per second (fps), we multiply by 340 and by 3.2808398950131, since there are 3.2808398950131 feet in one meter: 4 M x 340 x 3.2808398950131 = 4465.306122449 fps
• To convert 5 M to knots (kn), we multiply by 340 and by 1.9438444924406, since there are 1.9438444924406 nautical miles in one kilometer: 5 M x 340 x 1.9438444924406 = 3316.326530612 kn
• To convert 6 M to centimeters per second (cm/s), we multiply by 340 and by 100, since there are 100 centimeters in one meter: 6 M x 340 x 100 = 204000 cm/s

Where Mach Is Used

Mach is used in various fields of science and technology where the speed and direction of movement of objects or phenomena are measured or applied in relation to the speed of sound in the medium. For example:

• In aerodynamics and aeronautics, mach is used to measure the speed and performance of aircraft, rockets, missiles, and other flying vehicles, as well as the effects of air resistance, drag, lift, and thrust on them.
• In acoustics and sound engineering, mach is used to measure the intensity and frequency of sound waves, as well as the effects of reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and Doppler shift on them.
• In meteorology and climatology, mach is used to measure the speed and direction of wind, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other weather phenomena, as well as the effects of temperature, pressure, humidity, and density on them.

History of Mach

The concept of mach number was first introduced by Swiss engineer Jakob Ackeret in his doctoral thesis in 1929. He proposed it as a convenient way to express the ratio of flow velocity to speed of sound in gas dynamics problems. He also named it after Ernst Mach, who had conducted experiments on supersonic projectiles and shock waves in the late nineteenth century.

The term mach number was later popularized by German-American engineer Theodore von Karman, who used it extensively in his research on aerodynamics and supersonic flight in the early twentieth century. He also established the first supersonic wind tunnel at Caltech in 1939.

The first human-made object to break the sound barrier was a rocket-powered plane called Bell X-1 piloted by Chuck Yeager in October 1947. He achieved a speed of about Mach 1.06 at an altitude of 13,000 meters.
The first human to travel faster than sound was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who orbited the Earth at a speed of about Mach 25 in April 1961.
The fastest manned aircraft ever flown was the North American X-15, which reached a speed of about Mach 6.7 in October 1967.

The fastest unmanned aircraft ever flown was the NASA X-43A, which reached a speed of about Mach 9.6 in November 2004.

Example Conversions of Mach to Other Units

Here are some examples of how to convert mach to other units of speed, using the conversion factors given above:

• To convert 1 M to meters per second, we multiply by 340: 1 M x 340 = 340 m/s
• To convert 2 M to kilometers per hour, we multiply by 340 and by 3.6: 2 M x 340 x 3.6 = 2448 km/h
• To convert 3 M to miles per hour, we multiply by 340 and by 2.2369362920544: 3 M x 340 x 2.2369362920544 = 2285.714285714 mph
• To convert 4 M to feet per second, we multiply by 340 and by 3.2808398950131: 4 M x 340 x 3.2808398950131 = 4465.306122449 fps
• To convert 5 M to knots, we multiply by 340 and by 1.9438444924406: 5 M x 340 x 1.9438444924406 = 3316.326530612 kn
• To convert 6 M to centimeters per second, we multiply by 340 and by 100: 6 M x 340 x 100 = 204000 cm/s
• To convert 7 M to millimeters per minute, we multiply by 340 and by 1000, since there are 1000 millimeters in one meter, and multiply by 60, since there are 60 minutes in one hour: 7 M x 340 x 1000 x 60 = 142800000 mm/min