Convert acceleration units — m/s², ft/s², g-force, Gal and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| m/s² | Meter/Square Second | 9.80665 |
| cm/s² | Centimeter/Square Second | 980.665 |
| ft/s² | Foot/Square Second | 32.174049 |
| in/s² | Inch/Square Second | 386.08858 |
| Gal | Gal (cm/s²) | 980.665 |
| mG | Millig | 1000 |
Formula: in/s² = Standard Gravity × 386.1
Multiply any Standard Gravity value by 386.1 to get in/s².
Reverse: Standard Gravity = in/s² × 0.00259
Common acceleration values — factor: 1 g = 386.1 in/s²
| Standard Gravity (g) | in/s² (in/s²) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0001 g | 0.03861 in/s² | 100 μg sensor |
| 0.001 g | 0.3861 in/s² | 1 mg seismic |
| 0.01 g | 3.861 in/s² | 10 mg vibration |
| 0.1 g | 38.61 in/s² | 0.1 g elevator |
| 0.165 g | 63.7 in/s² | Moon surface |
| 0.38 g | 146.7 in/s² | Mars surface |
| 0.5 g | 193 in/s² | 0.5 g hard braking |
| 1 g | 386.1 in/s² | 1 g Earth surface |
| 2 g | 772.2 in/s² | 2 g hard cornering |
| 3 g | 1158 in/s² | 3 g astronaut launch |
| 4 g | 1544 in/s² | 4 g aerobatics |
| 5 g | 1930 in/s² | 5 g fighter jet |
| 9 g | 3475 in/s² | 9 g max sustained pilot |
| 10 g | 3861 in/s² | 10 g stunt |
| 100 g | 3.861e+04 in/s² | 100 g crash |
1 g = 386.1 in/s².
9.807 m/s² = 1 g = 32.17 ft/s² = 980.7 cm/s² — use as reference.
Multiply result by 0.00259 to recover the original g value.
Specifies aircraft and spacecraft acceleration loads in g and m/s² for structural design and pilot tolerance.
Measures vehicle acceleration performance (0–100 km/h) and braking deceleration in m/s² and g.
Uses Gal and mGal to measure variations in Earth's gravitational field for mineral exploration.
Programs joint acceleration limits in m/s² or in/s² for servo motor control and trajectory planning.
Calculates seismic acceleration loads (in g or m/s²) for earthquake-resistant building design.
Measures athlete acceleration performance using accelerometers reporting in g or m/s².
Standard gravity (g) is defined as exactly 9.80665 m/s², representing the nominal gravitational acceleration at Earth's surface (sea level, 45° latitude). It was adopted as a standard by the International Committee on Weights and Measures (CIPM) in 1901.
G-force (multiples of g) is the most intuitive acceleration unit for human experience: commercial aircraft cruise at about 1g; fighter jet maneuvers at 4–9g; astronaut launch at 3g; roller coasters at 2–6g. Human loss of consciousness (G-LOC) occurs at about 5–9g sustained.
Interesting fact: At 0g (weightlessness), the human vestibular system becomes confused within seconds — causing space sickness in about half of all astronauts. At the Moon's surface, gravity is 0.165g; on Mars 0.38g; on Jupiter's surface, about 2.5g.
Inches per second squared (in/s²) is used in precision mechanical engineering and robotics where displacements are measured in inches. One in/s² = 0.0254 m/s².
In/s² appears in servo motor specifications, CNC machine acceleration profiles, and vibration analysis in US manufacturing. A servo motor might be rated for 500 in/s² maximum acceleration; a hard drive read head accelerates at thousands of in/s².
Interesting fact: Hard drive read/write heads accelerate at up to 550,000 in/s² (1,400 g) and can position themselves across the platter in milliseconds — making them among the fastest-moving precision components in consumer electronics.
Converting Standard Gravity to in/s² is common in aerospace, automotive, geophysics, and robotics. Physics and SI engineering use m/s²; US aerospace uses ft/s²; geophysics uses Gal (cm/s²); and g-force is universal. Key anchor: Earth surface gravity = 9.807 m/s² = 1 g = 32.17 ft/s² = 980.7 Gal.
Quick reference: 10 g = 3861 in/s². Reverse: 1 in/s² = 0.00259 g. Factor: 1 g = 386.1 in/s².
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.