Knot (speed) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Knot |
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An airspeed indicator, which shows speed in knots
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| General information | |
| Unit system |
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| Unit of | speed |
| Symbol | kn or kt |
| Conversions | |
| 1 kn in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| km/h | 1.852 |
| mph | 1.15078 |
| m/s | 0.514444 |
| ft/s | 1.68781 |
The knot is a special unit used to measure speed. It tells you how many nautical miles something travels in one hour. One knot is exactly 1.852 kilometres per hour (km/h), or about 1.15 miles per hour (mph).
The main symbol for the knot is kn. You might also see kt, especially when talking about airplanes. This is because the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which deals with air travel, prefers 'kt'.
Even though the knot is not part of the standard SI system (like metres or seconds), it's used all over the world. You'll find it in meteorology (weather science), and for guiding ships and airplanes. For example, if a ship travels at 1 knot along a meridian (an imaginary line on Earth), it moves about one minute of latitude in an hour.
Knots are used to measure how fast boats move through water and how fast planes move through the air. It also helps measure the speed of things like ocean currents and wind speeds. This makes it easier for everyone in these fields to understand speeds consistently.
What is a Knot?
A knot is defined by how far a nautical mile is. An international nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres long. So, one knot means travelling 1,852 metres in one hour.
Here's how one international knot compares to other speed units:
- 1 nautical mile per hour
- About 1.852 kilometres per hour
- About 0.51444 metres per second
- About 1.15078 miles per hour
- About 20.2537 inches per second
- About 1.68781 feet per second
Different countries used to have slightly different lengths for a nautical mile. For example, the United States used a slightly different length before 1954. The United Kingdom also used a different length before 1970. Now, most countries use the international nautical mile, which is 1,852 metres.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Graphic scale from a Mercator projection world map, showing the change with latitude
See also
In Spanish: Nudo (unidad) para niños
