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Speed

Just how fast is 2 metres per second?

On foot

2 m/s

Scale

DISTANCE IN ONE SECOND

2 metres per second

The quantity is exact as entered.

2 m/sSpeed
0

2 m in 1 s

Canal narrowboat

A canal narrowboat is a long, slender vessel designed for navigating the narrow canals of the United Kingdom.

1.8 m/sDefined cruising speed
0

1.8 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

2 metres per second is about 1.11 times the cruising speed of a canal narrowboat.

Measurements, assumptions & sources +

2 metres per second

Speed: 2 m/s; definition.

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

NIST — SI conversion factors

Canal narrowboat

Defined cruising speed: 1.8 m/s; defined specimen; range 1 m/s–2.2 m/s.

A defined 17.7 m cruising narrowboat displacing 18 tonnes and travelling at 1.8 m/s. Bow-to-stern hull length excludes removable fenders; fit-out, loading and waterway dimensions vary.

Canal & River Trust — Boats and boating

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

Measurement details

Why these numbers?

Compare 2 metres per second with the cruising speed of a canal narrowboat. The notes below explain how each value was chosen.

2 metres per second

2 m/s

Speed · definition

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

Canal narrowboat

1.8 m/s

Defined cruising speed · defined specimen · range 1 m/s–2.2 m/s

A defined 17.7 m cruising narrowboat displacing 18 tonnes and travelling at 1.8 m/s. Bow-to-stern hull length excludes removable fenders; fit-out, loading and waterway dimensions vary.

Comparing
Speed ↔ Defined cruising speed
Relative size
2 metres per second is about 1.11 times the cruising speed of a canal narrowboat. 2 metres per second is approximately 11.1% greater than the cruising speed of a canal narrowboat.

How to read the visual

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

  • We use 1.8 m/s for the cruising speed of a canal narrowboat; the recorded range is 1 m/s–2.2 m/s.
  • The cruising speed of a canal narrowboat: This is an illustrative comparison value, not a claim that every example is the same.
  • 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.

7.2 km/hkilometres per hour
4.4739 mphmiles per hour
Mach 0.0058309Mach
6.6713 × 10⁻⁷% of c (6.6713 × 10⁻⁹c)speed of light

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