Meters per second (mps) to kilometers per hour (kph)

In math tasks, there are often different units of measurement, and many students do not notice this; although they solve correctly, they still do not get the desired points due to incorrect conversion. It is worth paying attention to this. This oversight is more common than one might think. Of course, students will find the correct numerical answer. They can still fail. Let's take an example and think a bit. Do you feel a headache? Me - not. Transitioning between metric and imperial units or converting to each other, like feet to inches, can significantly affect the clearness and precision of the results. Here, paying attention to processes, e.g., units that are crucial throughout the problem-solving process, is very important. Practicing unit conversions and double-checking them at the end can help ensure that all aspects of the problem are correctly addressed, which not only aids in earning full credit but also reinforces a more in-depth analysis of the mathematical concepts involved.

One of the most frequent mistakes occurs when converting between kilometers per hour (km/h) and meters per second (m/s). To convert km/h to m/s correctly, we need to remember some basic conversions from school:  1 km = 1000 m, 1 hour = 3600 s  

 

To convert kph to mps, you can multiply by either 1000/3600 or by 5/18.

 

The speed of a car is 144 kph. To convert this to mps 144∗5/18=40. So, the speed is 40 mps.

 

The speed of a bike is 36 kph. Let's convert that: 144∗5/18=40 mps. This means the speed is ten mps.

 

Another car moves at 144 kmph. And again, the solution is to use the same ratio: 108∗5/18=30 m/s 

 

We need to double-check units of conversions to confirm we're receiving the correct info according to the right data. This is also important when converting in reverse: mps to kph.