Meters per second to Yards per second Converter | m/s to yd/s

What this converter does

This converter takes a speed in metres per second and gives you yards per second. Enter the m/s value and read off the yd/s. It is a narrow conversion, but a real one when a speed measured in the SI unit needs to be expressed against distances counted in yards.

An uncommon unit, and where it fits

It is worth being honest that yards per second is not a unit most people will ever reach for. Speed is usually given in km/h, mph, or, in science, m/s. Yards per second shows up mainly in sports and biomechanics, and most often where the playing area itself is measured in yards, so expressing how fast someone moves in yards per second lines the speed up with the markings on the ground. If that is the context you are in, this conversion gives you the figure; if not, m/s on its own is almost always the more natural unit.

The conversion factor

One metre per second is 1.09361 yards per second, so:

yd/s = m/s × 1.09361

The yards-per-second figure comes out a little larger than the m/s, by about 9 percent, because a metre is slightly longer than a yard, so the same speed covers a few more yards than metres each second.

Why the two numbers are so close

The handy thing about this pairing is how near the two units are. A yard is 0.9144 of a metre, only a little shorter, so a speed in yards per second is always within about 9 percent of the same speed in metres per second. That means you can read one as a rough stand-in for the other: a figure in m/s is a touch lower than it would be in yd/s, and never far off. For a quick estimate, just add about a tenth to the m/s value.

A worked example

Say a sprinter is moving at 10 m/s and you want that in yards per second.

• 10 × 1.09361 = 10.94 yd/s

So 10 m/s is about 10.9 yd/s, close enough to 11 that you can almost read the two as the same. On a yard-marked field, that says the sprinter is covering nearly 11 yards every second, which is the sort of figure that puts a fast run into terms the field itself measures.

Common m/s speeds in yd/s

Notice how each yd/s figure sits just above its m/s value, a steady reminder of how close the two units run.

Questions people ask

How do I convert m/s to yd/s?

Multiply the speed in m/s by 1.09361. For a quick estimate, add about a tenth to the m/s value, since a metre is a little longer than a yard.

Why are m/s and yd/s almost the same?

A yard is 0.9144 of a metre, only slightly shorter, so a speed in the two units is always within about 9 percent. One reads as a close stand-in for the other.

When would I use yards per second?

It is uncommon, seen mainly in sports and biomechanics where the field is measured in yards. For most purposes, m/s or another speed unit is more natural.

References

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Special Publication 811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (unit conversion factors). https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
2. International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), The International System of Units (SI) Brochure (metre per second as the SI unit of speed). https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure