The knot, a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, has its origins in the age of sail. Mariners used a device known as the “common log” to measure a ship’s speed. This involved a wooden log attached to a rope with knots tied at uniform intervals. By counting the knots that passed through a sailor’s hands over a set period, they could determine the ship’s speed. Today, knots remain an essential measure in aviation and maritime contexts, underscoring how deeply it is embedded in navigation traditions.
Interestingly, the nautical mile, corresponding to one minute of latitude, is roughly 1.1508 miles. This makes the knot not only a unique unit for speed but also a reminder of the Earth’s curvature and ancient navigation skills.
The mile per hour, commonly abbreviated as mph, is a unit of speed originating from the British imperial system and widely used in the United States and the United Kingdom. It’s fascinating to know that the concept of mph has historical significance dating back to the invention of the first automobiles in the late 19th century. The iconic cars of the 1920s, often called “classic cars,” were among the first to publicly advertise their capabilities in mph, including models like the Ford Model T, which had a top speed of about 45 mph.
Interestingly, mph is still the primary speed measurement unit for most road signage in countries such as the US and the UK, even while the rest of the world predominantly uses kilometers per hour (kph). The land-speed record attempts, including those made with the supersonic car “ThrustSSC,” which achieved an astonishing 763 mph in 1997, also emphasize the significance of this unit in measuring extreme speeds.
Knots | Miles per hour |
---|---|
0
knot
|
0
mph
|
1
knot
|
1.15078
mph
|
2
knot
|
2.30156
mph
|
3
knot
|
3.45234
mph
|
4
knot
|
4.60312
mph
|
5
knot
|
5.7539
mph
|
6
knot
|
6.90467
mph
|
7
knot
|
8.05545
mph
|
8
knot
|
9.20623
mph
|
9
knot
|
10.35701
mph
|
10
knot
|
11.50779
mph
|
11
knot
|
12.65857
mph
|
12
knot
|
13.80935
mph
|
13
knot
|
14.96013
mph
|
14
knot
|
16.11091
mph
|
15
knot
|
17.26169
mph
|
16
knot
|
18.41246
mph
|
17
knot
|
19.56324
mph
|
18
knot
|
20.71402
mph
|
19
knot
|
21.8648
mph
|
20
knot
|
23.01558
mph
|
21
knot
|
24.16636
mph
|
22
knot
|
25.31714
mph
|
23
knot
|
26.46792
mph
|
24
knot
|
27.6187
mph
|
25
knot
|
28.76948
mph
|
26
knot
|
29.92025
mph
|
27
knot
|
31.07103
mph
|
28
knot
|
32.22181
mph
|
29
knot
|
33.37259
mph
|
30
knot
|
34.52337
mph
|
31
knot
|
35.67415
mph
|
32
knot
|
36.82493
mph
|
33
knot
|
37.97571
mph
|
34
knot
|
39.12649
mph
|
35
knot
|
40.27727
mph
|
36
knot
|
41.42804
mph
|
37
knot
|
42.57882
mph
|
38
knot
|
43.7296
mph
|
39
knot
|
44.88038
mph
|
40
knot
|
46.03116
mph
|
41
knot
|
47.18194
mph
|
42
knot
|
48.33272
mph
|
43
knot
|
49.4835
mph
|
44
knot
|
50.63428
mph
|
45
knot
|
51.78506
mph
|
46
knot
|
52.93583
mph
|
47
knot
|
54.08661
mph
|
48
knot
|
55.23739
mph
|
49
knot
|
56.38817
mph
|
50
knot
|
57.53895
mph
|
51
knot
|
58.68973
mph
|
52
knot
|
59.84051
mph
|
53
knot
|
60.99129
mph
|
54
knot
|
62.14207
mph
|
55
knot
|
63.29285
mph
|
56
knot
|
64.44362
mph
|
57
knot
|
65.5944
mph
|
58
knot
|
66.74518
mph
|
59
knot
|
67.89596
mph
|
60
knot
|
69.04674
mph
|
61
knot
|
70.19752
mph
|
62
knot
|
71.3483
mph
|
63
knot
|
72.49908
mph
|
64
knot
|
73.64986
mph
|
65
knot
|
74.80064
mph
|
66
knot
|
75.95141
mph
|
67
knot
|
77.10219
mph
|
68
knot
|
78.25297
mph
|
69
knot
|
79.40375
mph
|
70
knot
|
80.55453
mph
|
71
knot
|
81.70531
mph
|
72
knot
|
82.85609
mph
|
73
knot
|
84.00687
mph
|
74
knot
|
85.15765
mph
|
75
knot
|
86.30843
mph
|
76
knot
|
87.4592
mph
|
77
knot
|
88.60998
mph
|
78
knot
|
89.76076
mph
|
79
knot
|
90.91154
mph
|
80
knot
|
92.06232
mph
|
81
knot
|
93.2131
mph
|
82
knot
|
94.36388
mph
|
83
knot
|
95.51466
mph
|
84
knot
|
96.66544
mph
|
85
knot
|
97.81622
mph
|
86
knot
|
98.96699
mph
|
87
knot
|
100.11777
mph
|
88
knot
|
101.26855
mph
|
89
knot
|
102.41933
mph
|
90
knot
|
103.57011
mph
|
91
knot
|
104.72089
mph
|
92
knot
|
105.87167
mph
|
93
knot
|
107.02245
mph
|
94
knot
|
108.17323
mph
|
95
knot
|
109.32401
mph
|
96
knot
|
110.47478
mph
|
97
knot
|
111.62556
mph
|
98
knot
|
112.77634
mph
|
99
knot
|
113.92712
mph
|
100
knot
|
115.0779
mph
|
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