A unit of speed equal to one meter traveled per second.The meter per second (m/s) is the SI unit of speed, defined as the distance of one meter traveled in one second. It is a derived unit that expresses how quickly an object changes its position. This unit is fundamental in physics for quantifying motion, and it forms the basis for other units like acceleration (m/s²) and momentum (kg·m/s).
The meter was originally defined in 1791 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, and the second has been historically based on the Earth's rotation. The current definitions were adopted in 1983 and 1967, respectively.
Speed is calculated by dividing the distance traveled by the time taken. The meter is defined by the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second, and the second is defined by the frequency of a specific atomic transition in cesium-133. Thus, the unit is tied to fundamental constants of nature.
It is used universally in science and engineering to specify speeds, from the velocity of vehicles to the speed of light (approximately 299,792,458 m/s).
The speed of light in a vacuum is exactly 299,792,458 m/s, which is not a measured value but a defined constant that fixes the length of the meter.
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