Convert acceleration units — m/s², ft/s², g-force, Gal and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| m/s² | Meter/Square Second | 0.01 |
| cm/s² | Centimeter/Square Second | 1 |
| ft/s² | Foot/Square Second | 0.032808399 |
| in/s² | Inch/Square Second | 0.39370079 |
| g | Standard Gravity | 0.0010197162 |
| mG | Millig | 1.0197162 |
Formula: m/s² = Gal × 0.01
Multiply any Gal value by 0.01 to get m/s².
Reverse: Gal = m/s² × 100
Common acceleration values — factor: 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s²
| Gal (Gal) | m/s² (m/s²) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 Gal | 1.000e-05 m/s² | μGal precision |
| 0.01 Gal | 0.0001 m/s² | Sub-mGal |
| 0.1 Gal | 0.001 m/s² | mGal geodesy |
| 1 Gal | 0.01 m/s² | 1 Gal |
| 10 Gal | 0.1 m/s² | 10 Gal |
| 98 Gal | 0.98 m/s² | 0.1 g |
| 100 Gal | 1 m/s² | 0.102 g |
| 162 Gal | 1.62 m/s² | Moon surface |
| 370 Gal | 3.7 m/s² | Mars surface |
| 490 Gal | 4.9 m/s² | 0.5 g |
| 980.7 Gal | 9.807 m/s² | 1 g Earth |
| 1962 Gal | 19.62 m/s² | 2 g |
| 3700 Gal | 37 m/s² | ~4 g |
| 9807 Gal | 98.07 m/s² | ~10 g |
| 1e+05 Gal | 1000 m/s² | ~102 g |
1 Gal = 0.01 m/s².
9.807 m/s² = 1 g = 32.17 ft/s² = 980.7 cm/s² — use as reference.
Multiply result by 100 to recover the original Gal 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.
The Gal (symbol: Gal) is a unit of acceleration equal to exactly 1 cm/s² = 0.01 m/s², named in honor of Galileo Galilei. It is the standard unit in geodesy and gravimetry, where small variations in Earth's gravitational field are measured.
Earth's mean gravitational acceleration is about 980 Gal (9.80 m/s²). Local variations due to geology, elevation, and latitude span about ±0.5 Gal. Modern superconducting gravimeters can detect variations smaller than 1 μGal (10⁻⁸ m/s²).
Interesting fact: Gravity surveys using Gal measurements can detect underground oil reservoirs, ore deposits, and aquifers because different materials have different densities — and thus different gravitational effects — without any drilling.
The meter per second squared (m/s²) is the SI unit of acceleration, defined as the rate of change of velocity in meters per second, per second. It was formalized with the adoption of the International System of Units in 1960, building on Newton's second law F = ma.
m/s² is the universal unit in physics and engineering: free-fall acceleration on Earth = 9.80665 m/s²; a sports car accelerating from 0–100 km/h in 4 seconds experiences about 6.9 m/s²; the Large Hadron Collider accelerates particles at up to 10²⁰ m/s².
Interesting fact: The highest g-force ever survived by a human was 46.2g (453 m/s²), experienced by racing driver David Purley in a crash at the 1977 British Grand Prix. The acceleration lasted only milliseconds but was survivable due to the restraint system.
Converting Gal to m/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 Gal = 0.1 m/s². Reverse: 1 m/s² = 100 Gal. Factor: 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s².
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.