Kilometers Per Second to Mach
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Conversion Table

How to convert

1 kilometer per second (km/s) = 2.938583603 mach (M). Kilometer Per Second (km/s) is a unit of Speed used in Metric system. Mach (M) is a unit of Speed used in Metric system.

Kilometers per second: A unit of speed

Kilometers per second (km/s) is a unit of speed or velocity in the International System of Units (SI). It measures how fast an object is moving by calculating the distance traveled in kilometers divided by the time taken in seconds. For example, if a rocket travels 10 kilometers in 5 seconds, its speed is 2 km/s.

How to convert kilometers per second

Kilometers 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 km/s to m/s, multiply by 1000. To convert from m/s to km/s, divide by 1000. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 2000 m/s, and 500 m/s is equal to 0.5 km/s.
• Kilometers per hour (km/h): To convert from km/s to km/h, multiply by 3600. To convert from km/h to km/s, divide by 3600. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 7200 km/h, and 100 km/h is equal to 0.028 km/s.
• Miles per hour (mph): To convert from km/s to mph, multiply by 2236.94. To convert from mph to km/s, divide by 2236.94. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 4473.88 mph, and 60 mph is equal to 0.027 km/s.
• Knots (kn): To convert from km/s to kn, multiply by 1943.84. To convert from kn to km/s, divide by 1943.84. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 3887.68 kn, and 30 kn is equal to 0.015 km/s.
• Feet per second (ft/s): To convert from km/s to ft/s, multiply by 3280.84. To convert from ft/s to km/s, divide by 3280.84. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 6561.68 ft/s, and 100 ft/s is equal to 0.03 km/s.
• Miles per second (mi/s): To convert from km/s to mi/s, multiply by 0.621371. To convert from mi/s to km/s, divide by 0.621371. For example, 2 km/s is equal to 1.24 mi/s, and 1 mi/s is equal to 1.61 km/s.

Where kilometers per second are used

Kilometers per second are mainly used in astronomy and space science to measure the speed or velocity of celestial bodies and spacecrafts.

For example, the Earth orbits the Sun at an average speed of about 30 km/s.

The Moon orbits the Earth at an average speed of about 1 km/s.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth at an average speed of about 7.66 km/s.

The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which is the farthest human-made object from Earth, travels at a speed of about 17 km/s.

The speed of light in a vacuum is about 300000 km/s.

Definition of kilometers per second

According to the SI definition, one kilometer per second is the speed of a body that covers a distance of one kilometer in a time of one second.

Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

v = s / t

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

History of kilometers 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 kilometer was originally defined in 1793 by the French Academy of Sciences as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole along a meridian through Paris.

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 kilometer per second as a unit of speed or velocity.

The kilometer per second was officially adopted as part of the SI system in 1960.

Example conversions of kilometers per second to other units

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

• 1 km/s =1000 m/s = 3600 km/h = 2236.94 mph = 1943.84 kn = 3280.84 ft/s = 0.62 mi/s
• 2 km/s = 2000 m/s = 7200 km/h = 4473.88 mph = 3887.68 kn = 6561.68 ft/s = 1.24 mi/s
• 5 km/s = 5000 m/s = 18000 km/h = 11184.7 mph = 9721.92 kn = 16404.2 ft/s = 3.11 mi/s
• 10 km/s = 10000 m/s = 36000 km/h = 22369.4 mph = 19438.4 kn = 32808.4 ft/s = 6.21 mi/s
• 20 km/s = 20000 m/s = 72000 km/h = 44738.8 mph = 38876.8 kn = 65616.8 ft/s = 12.43 mi/s
• 50 km/s = 50000 m/s = 180000 km/h = 111847 mph = 97219.2 kn = 164042 ft/s = 31.07 mi/s
• 100 km/s = 100000 m/s = 360000 km/h = 223694 mph = 194384 kn = 328084 ft/s = 62.14 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