Miles Per Second to Light Speed
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Conversion Table

How to convert

1 mile per second (mi/s) = 5.36821E-06 light speed (ls). Mile Per Second (mi/s) is a unit of Speed used in Standard system. Light Speed (ls) is a unit of Speed used in Metric system.

Miles per second: A unit of speed

Miles per second (mi/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 miles divided by the time taken in seconds. For example, if a bullet travels 1 mile in 0.5 seconds, its speed is 2 mi/s.

How to convert miles per second

Miles 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 mi/s to m/s, multiply by 1609.34. To convert from m/s to mi/s, divide by 1609.34. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 1609.34 m/s, and 100 m/s is equal to 0.0621371 mi/s.
• Kilometers per hour (km/h): To convert from mi/s to km/h, multiply by 5793.64. To convert from km/h to mi/s, divide by 5793.64. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 5793.64 km/h, and 50 km/h is equal to 0.00863028 mi/s.
• Miles per hour (mph): To convert from mi/s to mph, multiply by 3600. To convert from mph to mi/s, divide by 3600. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 3600 mph, and 60 mph is equal to 0.0166667 mi/s.
• Knots (kn): To convert from mi/s to kn, multiply by 3128.31. To convert from kn to mi/s, divide by 3128.31. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 3128.31 kn, and 15 kn is equal to 0.00479717 mi/s.
• Feet per second (ft/s): To convert from mi/s to ft/s, multiply by 5280. To convert from ft/s to mi/s, divide by 5280. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 5280 ft/s, and 40 ft/s is equal to 0.00757576 mi/s.
• Inches per second (in/s): To convert from mi/s to in/s, multiply by 63360. To convert from in/s to mi/s, divide by 63360. For example, 1 mi/s is equal to 63360 in/s, and 20 in/s is equal to 0.000315789 mi/s.

Where miles per second are used

Miles per second are mainly used in physics and astronomy to measure the speed or velocity of very fast objects and phenomena.

For example, the escape velocity of the Earth is about 11 km/s or about 6.84 mi/s.

The orbital velocity of the Earth around the Sun is about 30 km/s or about 18.64 mi/s.

The speed of light in a vacuum is about 300000 km/s or about 186282 mi/s.

The speed of sound in air at sea level is about 343 m/s or about 0.213139 mi/s.

Definition of miles per second

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

Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

v = s / t

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

History of miles 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 mile was originally derived from the Roman mile which was defined as one thousand paces or about 5000 Roman feet.

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 mile per second as a unit of speed or velocity.

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

Example conversions of miles per second to other units

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

• 1 mi/s = 1609.34 m/s = 5793.64 km/h = 3600 mph = 3128.31 kn = 5280 ft/s = 63360 in/s
• 2 mi/s = 3218.68 m/s = 11587.28 km/h = 7200 mph = 6256.62 kn = 10560 ft/s = 126720 in/s
• 5 mi/s = 8046.7 m/s = 28968.2 km/h = 18000 mph = 15657.55 kn = 26400 ft/s = 316800 in/s
• 10 mi/s = 16093.4 m/s = 57936.4 km/h = 36000 mph = 31283.1 kn = 52800 ft/s = 633600 in/s
• 20 mi/s = 32186.8 m/s = 115872.8 km/h = 72000 mph = 62566.2 kn = 105600 ft/s = 1267200 in/s
• 50 mi/s = 80467 m/s = 289682 km/h = 180000 mph = 156575.5 kn = 264000 ft/s = 3168000 in/s
• 100 mi/s = 160934 m/s = 579364 km/h = 360000 mph = 312831 kn = 528000 ft/s = 6336000 in/s

Light Speed

Definition of Light Speed

Light speed, commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant that is exactly equal to 299,792,458 metres per second (approximately 300,000 kilometres per second; 186,000 miles per second; 671 million miles per hour). It is the speed at which light waves propagate through vacuum, and also the upper limit for the speed at which any form of matter or energy can travel through space. Light speed is an essential parameter in the theories of relativity and electromagnetism, and has relevance beyond the context of light and electromagnetic waves.

How to Convert Light Speed

To convert light speed to other units of speed, we need to multiply or divide by the corresponding conversion factors. For example, to convert light speed to kilometers per hour, we need to multiply by 3,600, since there are 3,600 seconds in one hour. To convert light speed to miles per hour, we need to multiply by 2.2369362920544, since there are 2.2369362920544 miles in one kilometer.

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

• To convert c to kilometers per hour (km/h), we multiply by 3,600: c x 3,600 = 1,079,252,848.8 km/h
• To convert c to miles per hour (mph), we multiply by 2.2369362920544: c x 2.2369362920544 = 670,616,629.384 mph
• To convert c to feet per second (fps), we multiply by 3.2808398950131, since there are 3.2808398950131 feet in one meter: c x 3.2808398950131 = 983,571,056.43 fps
• To convert c to knots (kn), we multiply by 1.9438444924406, since there are 1.9438444924406 nautical miles in one kilometer: c x 1.9438444924406 = 582,749,918.284 kn
• To convert c to meters per second (m/s), we use the exact value: c = 299,792,458 m/s
• To convert c to meters per minute (m/min), we multiply by 60, since there are 60 seconds in one minute: c x 60 = 17,987,547,480 m/min

Where Light Speed Is Used

Light speed is used in various fields of science and technology where the properties and behavior of light and electromagnetic waves are studied or applied. For example:

• In astronomy and cosmology, light speed is used to measure astronomical distances and time scales, such as light-years and parsecs. It also determines the observable size and age of the universe and the effects of gravity on light such as gravitational lensing and gravitational redshift.
• In physics and engineering, light speed is used to calculate the energy and momentum of particles and fields using the famous equation E = mc2. It also sets the limit for causality and information transfer in physical systems.
• In communication and navigation, light speed is used to determine the delay and bandwidth of signals transmitted through various media such as optical fibers or radio waves. It also affects the accuracy and precision of measurements based on time-of-flight or Doppler effect methods.

History of Light Speed

The concept of light speed has a long history that spans across different cultures and disciplines. Some of the milestones in its development are:

• In ancient times, many philosophers and scientists assumed that light traveled instantaneously or infinitely fast.
• In the late 17th century, Danish astronomer Ole Romer was the first to demonstrate that light had a finite speed by observing the apparent motion of Jupiter’s moon Io. He estimated that light took about 22 minutes to cross the diameter of Earth’s orbit.
• In the early 18th century, English astronomer James Bradley discovered the aberration of starlight caused by Earth’s motion around the Sun. He used this phenomenon to calculate that light traveled about 10 thousand times faster than Earth’s orbital speed.
• In the late 19th century, French physicist Hippolyte Fizeau and American physicist Albert Michelson conducted various experiments using rotating mirrors or interferometers to measure the speed of light more accurately in air or vacuum.
• In the early 20th century, German-born physicist Albert Einstein proposed the special theory of relativity, which postulated that light speed was constant and independent of the motion of the source or the observer. He also showed that light speed was the maximum speed for any form of matter or energy in the universe.
• In the late 20th century, various methods and standards were developed to define and measure light speed more precisely and consistently. In 1983, the International System of Units (SI) adopted the exact value of 299,792,458 metres per second as the definition of light speed in vacuum.

Example Conversions of Light Speed to Other Units

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

• To convert c to kilometers per hour, we multiply by 3,600: c x 3,600 = 1,079,252,848.8 km/h
• To convert c to miles per hour, we multiply by 2.2369362920544: c x 2.2369362920544 = 670,616,629.384 mph
• To convert c to feet per second, we multiply by 3.2808398950131: c x 3.2808398950131 = 983,571,056.43 fps
• To convert c to knots, we multiply by 1.9438444924406: c x 1.9438444924406 = 582,749,918.284 kn
• To convert c to meters per second, we use the exact value: c = 299,792,458 m/s
• To convert c to meters per minute, we multiply by 60: c x 60 = 17,987,547,480 m/min
• To convert c to centimeters per second, we multiply by 100: c x 100 = 29,979,245,800 cm/s