Acceleration Conversion Calculator
Convert acceleration units instantly — m/s², ft/s², g-force (gn), Gal, km/h/s, mph/s and 15+ more units. Enter value, select units, get instant conversion with step-by-step working.
Use this acceleration converter to convert between any two acceleration units. Select your input unit, output unit, enter the value and click Convert for instant results with full step-by-step working.
How to Convert Acceleration Units
Acceleration conversion uses a conversion factor. The standard base unit is meter per second squared (m/s²). To convert:
Where each unit has a known factor relative to m/s². For example:
- 1 ft/s² = 0.3048 m/s²
- 1 g (standard gravity) = 9.80665 m/s²
- 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s²
Acceleration Units Conversion Table
All values are conversion factors to meter per second squared (m/s²). To convert from any unit to m/s², multiply by the factor. To convert from m/s² to any unit, divide by the factor.
| Unit | Symbol | Factor to m/s² | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meter per second squared | m/s² | 1 | SI base unit |
| Centimeter per second squared | cm/s² | 0.01 | = Gal |
| Foot per second squared | ft/s² | 0.3048 | Imperial |
| Inch per second squared | in/s² | 0.0254 | Imperial |
| Standard Gravity | gn | 9.80665 | Earth’s gravity ≈ 9.81 m/s² |
| Galileo | Gal | 0.01 | Used in geophysics |
| Mile per hour per second | mi/h·s | 0.44704 | Common in cars |
| Km per hour per second | km/h·s | 0.277778 | Common in cars |
| Knot per second | kn/s | 0.514444 | Aviation/nautical |
| Foot per minute per second | ft/min·s | 0.00508 | |
| Mile per minute per second | mi/min·s | 26.8244 | |
| Km per second squared | km/s² | 1000 |
Common Acceleration Conversions
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| m/s² | ft/s² | 3.28084 |
| ft/s² | m/s² | 0.3048 |
| m/s² | g-force | 0.101972 |
| g-force | m/s² | 9.80665 |
| m/s² | km/h/s | 3.6 |
| m/s² | mph/s | 2.23694 |
| m/s² | Gal (cm/s²) | 100 |
Real-Life Acceleration Examples
- Standard gravity (g): 9.80665 m/s² = 32.174 ft/s² — free-fall on Earth’s surface
- Car 0-60 mph in 6s: ≈ 4.47 m/s² ≈ 0.456 g
- Formula 1 braking: up to 50 m/s² ≈ 5 g
- Space Shuttle launch: peak ≈ 29 m/s² ≈ 3 g
- Roller coaster: 20–50 m/s² (2–5 g)
- Human limit (brief): ~100 m/s² (10 g) before unconsciousness
What is Acceleration?
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. When you press the gas pedal, your car accelerates — its velocity increases. The formula from Newton’s Second Law is:
Where F = force (Newtons), m = mass (kg), and a = acceleration (m/s²). The SI unit of acceleration is meter per second squared (m/s²).