A knot is a unit of speed that is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is approximately 1.15 statute miles or 1.852 kilometers.
So, if a ship is moving at a speed of one knot, it is traveling at a speed of approximately 1.15078 miles per hour or 1.852 kilometers per hour. If the ship is moving at a speed of 10 knots, it is traveling at a speed of approximately 11.5078 miles per hour or 18.52 kilometers per hour.
Knots are commonly used in the maritime industry today to measure the speed of ships and aircraft. This is because they provide a more accurate measure of speed over long distances, as they are based on the nautical mile, which is directly linked to the circumference of the Earth.
Knots Converter
How fast is a Knot
Knot is a unit of speed that is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. One nautical mile is approximately 1.15 statute miles or 1.852 kilometers.
The term “knot” originates from the practice of sailors using a rope with knots tied at regular intervals to measure the speed of their vessel. The rope would be tied to the ship’s log, which was a piece of wood with a weight attached that would drag behind the ship. The sailors would count the number of knots that passed through their hands in a set amount of time to calculate the ship’s speed.
In terms of speed, one knot is equivalent to approximately 1.15078 miles per hour or 1.852 kilometers per hour. This means that if a ship is traveling at a speed of 10 knots, it is moving at approximately 11.5078 miles per hour or 18.52 kilometers per hour.
It is important to note that knots are still commonly used in the maritime industry today, particularly for measuring the speed of ships and aircraft. This is because they provide a more accurate measure of speed over long distances, as they are based on the nautical mile, which is directly linked to the circumference of the Earth.
A Knot is a unit of speed that is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, and one nautical mile is approximately 1.15 statute miles or 1.852 kilometers. By multiplying knots by 1.15, you can convert them to miles per hour.
Conversion Table For Knots To Miles Per Hour (MPH) And Kilometers Per Hour (KMH)
| Knots | Miles Per Hour | Kilometers Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Knot | 1,15 mph | 1,85 kmh |
| 2 Knots | 2,30 mph | 3,70 kmh |
| 3 Knots | 3,45 mph | 5,56 kmh |
| 4 Knots | 4,60 mph | 7,41 kmh |
| 5 Knots | 5,75 mph | 9,26 kmh |
| 10 Knots | 11,51 mph | 18,52 kmh |
| 15 Knots | 17,26 mph | 27,78 kmh |
| 20 Knots | 23,02 mph | 37,04 kmh |
| 25 Knots | 28,77 mph | 46,30 kmh |
| 30 Knots | 34,52 mph | 55,56 kmh |
| 35 Knots | 40,28 mph | 64,82 kmh |
| 40 Knots | 46,03 mph | 74,08 kmh |
| 45 Knots | 51,79 mph | 83,34 kmh |
| 50 Knots | 57,54 mph | 92,60 kmh |
| 60 Knots | 69,05 mph | 111,12 kmh |
| 70 Knots | 80,55 mph | 129,64 kmh |
| 80 Knots | 92,06 mph | 148,16 kmh |
| 90 Knots | 103,57 mph | 166,68 kmh |
| 100 Knots | 115,08 mph | 185,20 kmh |
| 110 Knots | 126,59 mph | 203,72 kmh |
| 120 Knots | 138,09 mph | 222,24 kmh |
| 130 Knots | 149,60 mph | 240,76 kmh |
| 140 Knots | 161,11 mph | 259,28 kmh |
| 150 Knots | 172,62 mph | 277,80 kmh |
| 160 Knots | 184,12 mph | 296,32 kmh |
| 170 Knots | 195,63 mph | 314,84 kmh |
| 180 Knots | 207,14 mph | 333,36 kmh |
| 190 Knots | 218,65 mph | 351,88 kmh |
| 200 Knots | 230,16 mph | 370,40 kmh |
Why Ships use the Term Knots for Speed Calculation?
If you are unaware, a knot is actually quite a historical measurement, and it originated all the way back in the 17th century. It was originally used by sailors of this era as a method to estimate the speed at which they were sailing.
To measure this they would use a piece of wood which they would call a common log. Then attached to this log they would have a piece of rope that will have knots tied on at a standard interval.
Once their boat was moving they would throw the log into the sea.
They would then leave it in for a certain amount of time which would have usually been recorded using an hourglass, and after the time was up they would simply count the number of knots that had ended up in the sea, and these would be counted to measure the knots. Because of this older method of counting speed, the term was adopted for use when measuring nautical miles.
Of course, it is worth pointing out that this 17th-century system was not particularly centralized and there was not one particular way of counting knots, so the term was changed at some point to be used to denote the speed at which a nautical mile is done in an hour.
The main reason why ships specifically use the speed system of knots so frequently is that it is a specific speed that is related to nautical miles, and of course, when you are traveling by sea, nautical miles are much more commonly used than standard miles.
When you are traveling in the ocean, you would not use a system used to travel land miles, so using nautical miles, which are measured using knots, of course, makes sense.
Sometimes when you are on a boat, you will hear staff referring to speed using miles per hour, but this is usually done for the sake of passengers who want a more understandable method of telling the speed.
However, if this article has made it clear enough for you, you should have realized that the knot system is not actually that complicated and quite easy to learn by using the 1.15 multiplication method.
While knots have been used since back in the 17th century, this method of measurement did not get standardized in nations like the UK and the US until the 20th century. The method of using nautical miles was standardized in the US in 1954, and it was adopted over in the UK as recently as 1970.