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Meter per Hour to Meter per Second – How to convert m/h to m/s
Need to convert meter per hour to meter per second? Both are metric speed units, but they work on very different timescales. Meter per hour is used for extremely slow movements – like glacial flow, soil settling, or precise industrial processes – while meter per second is the standard for physics, meteorology, and most real-world speed measurements. Converting between them is simple, and it helps bridge slow, precise studies with broader scientific or engineering applications.
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What is a meter per hour (m/h)?
A meter per hour is a unit of speed describing how many meters something moves over the course of one hour. While it’s not common for travel or transport, it’s invaluable when tracking very gradual motion.
Glaciologists, soil engineers, and some industrial process managers use meters per hour to measure rates so slow they’d be awkward to express in meters per second or kilometers per hour.
What is a meter per second (m/s)?
A meter per second is the SI base unit for speed, measuring the distance an object travels in meters during a single second. It’s widely used in physics, engineering, meteorology, and transportation studies because it integrates smoothly into equations and simulations.
Most real-world speeds – from walking to wind and vehicles – are ultimately expressed or calculated in meters per second, even if they’re later converted into other units for convenience.
How to convert meter per hour to meter per second
Since there are 3,600 seconds in one hour, the conversion factor is straightforward:
1 meter per hour = 1 ÷ 3,600 meters per second (≈ 0.00027778 m/s)
To convert:
Meters per Second (m/s) = Meters per Hour (m/h) ÷ 3,600
Example: If a glacier moves at 180 m/h:
180 ÷ 3,600 = 0.05 m/s
Need a faster way to handle bulk conversions? Use our Speed Converter or explore more Conversion tools for instant accuracy.
Did you know?
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Glacial science: Many mountain glaciers advance at rates under 100 meters per hour – about 0.028 m/s – yet over months or years, they can carve valleys and alter entire landscapes.
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Construction monitoring: Engineers monitoring soil settlement sometimes log displacement rates in m/h to capture the tiniest movements, later converting to m/s for simulation models.
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Climate studies: Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica often have flow rates measured in m/h, but global climate models require m/s inputs, so scientists regularly convert between the two.
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Industrial precision: High-precision conveyor systems for electronics may move as slowly as a few meters per hour to allow robotic arms to perform microscopic assembly tasks.
The Conversion That Tells the Story of Slow Giants
In 2021, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey studied parts of the Pine Island Glacier, one of Antarctica’s fastest-moving ice streams. While certain sections surged at nearly 400 m/h, most moved closer to 150 m/h – translating to 0.042 m/s.
For their raw field logs, researchers used meters per hour to capture every subtle change. But when feeding the data into global ice flow models and sea level projections, they converted everything into meters per second to keep calculations standardized across international research teams.
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Bridging Slow and Fast Worlds
Converting meter per hour to meter per second is as simple as dividing by 3,600. While meters per hour captures incredibly gradual changes, meters per second is the language of science, engineering, and data modeling. Switching between them makes it easier to move from field observations to analysis and broader applications.
For quick, precise conversions, use our Speed Converter or visit other Conversion tools to handle every speed calculation with ease.
