Themetre per second is the unit of bothspeed (ascalar quantity) andvelocity (avector quantity, which has direction and magnitude) in theInternational System of Units (SI), equal to the speed of a body covering adistance of onemetre in a time of onesecond. As the base unit for speed in the SI, it is commonly used in physics, mechanics, and engineering contexts. It represents both scalar speed and vector velocity, depending on context. According to the definition of metre,[1]1 m/s is exactly of thespeed of light.
A velocity(In vector metres per second) versus time chart. It shows how the unit metre per second is often used in scientific and educational occasions.
TheSI unit symbols arem/s,m·s−1,m s−1, orm/s.[2]
The metre per second became the official SI derived unit for both speed and velocity with the establishment of the International System of Units (SI) in 1960 by theGeneral Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM).[10] Prior to this, various units such asfeet per second,miles per hour, andknots were more commonly used, depending on the region and application.
The unit derives from the SI base units ofmetre (length) andsecond (time), both of which were defined more precisely in the 20th century. Themetre was originally based on the dimensions of the Earth, but is now defined by the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Thesecond is defined using the vibration frequency of caesium atoms (9,192,631,770 oscillations per second).[11] Because of its accuracy, simplicity and preciseness, this unit is adopted as the official unit of speed and velocity and is almost always used as the unit of speed and velocity in scientific occasions.
Thebenz, named in honour ofKarl Benz, has been proposed as a name for one metre per second.[12] Although it has seen some support as a practical unit,[13] primarily from German sources,[12] it was rejected as the SI unit of velocity[14] and has not seen widespread use or acceptance.[15]
^Dinçer, İbrahim; Rosen, Marc A. (2007).EXERGY: Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 444.ISBN9780080531359.OCLC228148217.
^Jazar, Reza N. (2017).Vehicle Dynamics: Theory and Application (3. ed.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 957.ISBN9783319534411.OCLC988750637.
^Collinson, R.P.G. (2013).Introduction to Avionics Systems (2. ed.). Boston: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 16.ISBN9781441974662.OCLC861706692.
^Das, Braja M.; Kassimali, Aslam; Sami, Sedat (2010).Mechanics for Engineers: Statics. Ft. Lauderdale, FL: J. Ross Publishing. p. 556.ISBN9781604270297.OCLC419827343.
^Wright, Gus (2015).Fundamentals of medium/heavy duty diesel engines. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 1349.ISBN9781284067057.OCLC927104266.
^Dresner S. (1974).Units of Measurement: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Units Both Scientific and Popular and the Quantities They Measure. Harvey Miller and Medcalf. p. 13.ISBN978-0-85602-036-0.
