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Speed

Just how fast is 10 metres per second?

Road & rail

10 m/s

Scale

DISTANCE IN ONE SECOND

10 metres per second

The quantity is exact as entered.

36 km/hSpeed
0

10 m in 1 s

Racing catamaran

A racing catamaran is a high-speed sailing boat with two parallel hulls, designed for competitive sailing.

43.2 km/hDefined fast sailing speed
0

12 m in 1 s

Each track shows distance covered in the same second. The small illustrations identify the movers; their sizes are schematic.

A little perspective

The fast sailing speed of a racing catamaran is about 1.2 times 10 metres per second.

Measurements, assumptions & sources +

10 metres per second

Speed: 36 km/h; definition.

The quantity is exact as entered. Comparisons use the clearly stated specimen, model or nominal measurement.

NIST — SI conversion factors

Racing catamaran

Defined fast sailing speed: 43.2 km/h; specified; range 7 m/s–64.8 km/h.

A Formula 18 racing catamaran at the class limits of 5.52 m length, 2.60 m width and 180 kg minimum ready-to-sail mass, shown at a defined 12 m/s pace. Crew mass and momentary race speed are excluded.

International Formula 18 — Class rules

The marked defined fast sailing speed is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

Measurement details

Why these numbers?

Compare 10 metres per second with the fast sailing speed of a racing catamaran. The notes below explain how each value was chosen.

10 metres per second

36 km/h

Speed · definition

The quantity is exact as entered. Comparisons use the clearly stated specimen, model or nominal measurement.

Racing catamaran

43.2 km/h

Defined fast sailing speed · specified · range 7 m/s–64.8 km/h

A Formula 18 racing catamaran at the class limits of 5.52 m length, 2.60 m width and 180 kg minimum ready-to-sail mass, shown at a defined 12 m/s pace. Crew mass and momentary race speed are excluded.

Comparing
Speed ↔ Defined fast sailing speed
Relative size
The fast sailing speed of a racing catamaran is about 1.2 times 10 metres per second. The fast sailing speed of a racing catamaran is approximately 20% greater than 10 metres per second.

How to read the visual

The diagram uses the recorded measurements. Details outside the marked spans do not set the scale.

  • We use 43.2 km/h for the fast sailing speed of a racing catamaran; the recorded range is 7 m/s–64.8 km/h.
  • The recorded ranges overlap, so the ordering can vary even though the central values differ.

Speed is distance per unit time; it does not specify the total distance travelled.

36 km/hkilometres per hour
22.369 mphmiles per hour
Mach 0.029155Mach
3.3356 × 10⁻⁶% of c (3.3356 × 10⁻⁸c)speed of light

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