Convert acceleration units — m/s², ft/s², g-force, Gal and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| cm/s² | Centimeter/Square Second | 100 |
| ft/s² | Foot/Square Second | 3.2808399 |
| in/s² | Inch/Square Second | 39.370079 |
| g | Standard Gravity | 0.10197162 |
| Gal | Gal (cm/s²) | 100 |
| mG | Millig | 101.97162 |
Formula: cm/s² = m/s² × 100
Multiply any m/s² value by 100 to get cm/s².
Reverse: m/s² = cm/s² × 0.01
Common acceleration values — factor: 1 m/s² = 100 cm/s²
| m/s² (m/s²) | cm/s² (cm/s²) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 m/s² | 0.1 cm/s² | Seismic micro |
| 0.01 m/s² | 1 cm/s² | Gentle vibration |
| 0.1 m/s² | 10 cm/s² | Slow elevator |
| 0.98 m/s² | 98 cm/s² | 0.1 g |
| 1 m/s² | 100 cm/s² | 1 m/s² |
| 1.62 m/s² | 162 cm/s² | Moon surface |
| 3.7 m/s² | 370 cm/s² | Mars surface |
| 4.9 m/s² | 490 cm/s² | 0.5 g braking |
| 9.807 m/s² | 980.7 cm/s² | 1 g Earth surface |
| 19.6 m/s² | 1960 cm/s² | 2 g |
| 50 m/s² | 5000 cm/s² | 5 g fighter jet |
| 98.07 m/s² | 9807 cm/s² | 10 g |
| 100 m/s² | 1e+04 cm/s² | ~10 g |
| 490 m/s² | 4.9e+04 cm/s² | ~50 g |
| 1000 m/s² | 1e+05 cm/s² | ~100 g crash |
m/s² × 100 = cm/s². Shift decimal 2 places right.
1 m/s² = 100 cm/s² = 100 Gal. 9.807 m/s² = 980.7 Gal.
cm/s² ÷ 100 = m/s².
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 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.
Centimeters per second squared (cm/s²) is the CGS unit of acceleration, equal to exactly 0.01 m/s². The Gal (named after Galileo) is exactly 1 cm/s² and is the standard unit in gravimetry and geophysics.
Gravimeters measure local variations in Earth's gravitational acceleration in milligals (mGal) and microgals (μGal). Earth's gravity varies by about ±0.5 Gal (50 cm/s²) between the equator and poles due to Earth's shape and rotation.
Interesting fact: The Gal unit honors Galileo Galilei, who first quantified free-fall acceleration in the late 16th century using inclined planes and water clocks — without any precise timing instruments, he determined that distance fallen is proportional to the square of time.
Converting m/s² to cm/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 m/s² = 1000 cm/s². Reverse: 1 cm/s² = 0.01 m/s². Factor: 1 m/s² = 100 cm/s².
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.