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A knot is a rate of speed used to determine how many nautical miles per hour something is travelling. This measurement is usually used to measure distances over the sea, and so it is helpful to convert knots to miles per hour, since this is a land rate most people better understand. The simplest way to convert knots to miles per hour is by multiplying the number of knots by 1.151.


Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Converting to Feet per Hour

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  1. A statute mile is what is typically used to measure long distances over land. A statute mile is equal to 5,280 feet.[1] A nautical mile is usually used to measure distances that are across open water or space. A nautical mile is equal to 6,076 feet.
    • Knots are determined by how many nautical miles are being travelled per hour. 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour.[2]
  2. This converts the rate in knots to feet per hour, since there are 6,076 feet in a nautical mile.[3]
    • For example, if a boat is travelling at 17 knots, to find how many feet per hour, calculate .
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  3. Since there are 5,280 feet in a statute mile, to know how many miles per hour something is traveling, divide the number of feet per hour by 5,280.[4]
    • For example, if a boat is travelling 103,292 feet per hour, to find out how many miles per hour it is travelling, you would calculate
      So, a boat travelling at 17 knots is travelling about 19.56 miles per hour.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Multiplying by the Rate Conversion

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  1. Both are rates of speed. Something travelling at 1 knot is equal to travelling 1.151 miles per hour.[5]
  2. Since 1 knot = 1.151 miles per hour, the formula is , where equals the rate in knots, and equals the rate in miles per hour.[6]
  3. Make sure you are substituting for the value. Multiply to find the number of miles per hour.[7]
    • For example, if the wind is blowing at 20 knots, you would calculate as follows:

      .
      So, if the wind blows at 20 knots, it is going about 23 miles per hour.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Converting Miles Per Hour to Knots

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  1. This converts the rate to feet per hour, since there are 5,280 feet in a statute mile. Dividing by 6,076, the number of feet in a nautical mile, tells you how many knots something is travelling.[8]
    • For example, a boat might be travelling 20 mph.
    • Converting to feet per hour: .
    • Converting to knots: .
    • So, a boat travelling 20 mph is travelling at about 17 knots.
  2. This is the conversion rate, since there are about 0.869 knots per mile. The product will tell you the rate in knots.[9]
    • For example, the wind might be blowing at 25 miles per hour.
    • Simply multiply, or use the formula , where equals the rate in miles per hour, and equals the rate in knots.
    • So, wind blowing at 25 mph is blowing at about 22 knots.
  3. A red boat is travelling at 15 knots. A blue boat is travelling at 17 miles per hour. Which boat is travelling faster?
    • To convert how fast the blue boat is travelling in mph to knots, multiply by the number of miles per hour by 0.869:
    • The red boat is travelling at 15 knots; the blue boat is travelling a little less than 15 knots. So the red boat is travelling faster.
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About This Article

Joseph Meyer
Reviewed by:
Math Teacher
This article was reviewed by Joseph Meyer. Joseph Meyer is a High School Math Teacher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an educator at City Charter High School, where he has been teaching for over 7 years. Joseph is also the founder of Sandbox Math, an online learning community dedicated to helping students succeed in Algebra. His site is set apart by its focus on fostering genuine comprehension through step-by-step understanding (instead of just getting the correct final answer), enabling learners to identify and overcome misunderstandings and confidently take on any test they face. He received his MA in Physics from Case Western Reserve University and his BA in Physics from Baldwin Wallace University. This article has been viewed 159,914 times.
34 votes - 83%
Co-authors: 16
Updated: December 9, 2024
Views: 159,914
Categories: Measuring Distance
Article SummaryX

Knots are used to measure the rate of speed on the water. The simplest way to convert knots to miles per hour is to multiply the number of knots by 1.151. For example, if you're trying to convert 17 knots to miles per hour, you would multiply 17 by 1.151 and get 19.6. Therefore, 17 knots is equal to 19.6 miles per hour. To learn how to convert knots to feet per mile, read on!

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Reader Success Stories

  • Russell Stout

    Russell Stout

    Sep 30, 2020

    "I am training for my sport pilot's license and need to know how to do the conversion. Great article."
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