Convert Feet per Minute to Nautical Miles per Second
Convert Feet per Minute (ft/min) to Nautical Miles per Second (nmi/s) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
nmi/s = ft/min × 2.742980562e-6
About Feet per Minute
A foot per minute (ft/min) = 5.08 × 10⁻³ m/s - the US standard for elevator speed, HVAC duct velocity, and conveyor speed. Residential lifts: 100-200 ft/min; commercial 200-400 ft/min; skyscraper express lifts 1,000-3,000 ft/min (Burj Khalifa 2,953 ft/min). HVAC low-velocity ductwork: 500-1,000 ft/min; medium-velocity 1,000-2,200 ft/min. Paper machine Fourdrinier wires: 200-6,000 ft/min. 1 ft/min = 0.00508 m/s.
About Nautical Miles per Second
A nautical mile per second (nmi/s) equals exactly 1,852 m/s - squarely in the hypersonic domain at approximately Mach 5.44 (ISA sea level). At this speed, kinetic energy per kilogram is ½ × 1852² ≈ 1.71 MJ/kg, comparable to a small shaped-charge detonation. Ballistic missile re-entry vehicles descend at roughly 3.8-7 nmi/s during the terminal phase; ICBM warheads at peak re-entry travel near 4-6 nmi/s. The US Navy's electromagnetic railgun programme aimed to accelerate 10 kg projectiles to approximately 1.7-2.5 nmi/s in test firings, giving them sufficient kinetic energy to destroy armoured targets without a warhead. Hypervelocity impact experiments at two-stage light-gas gun facilities reach similar speeds to simulate asteroid-impact cratering physics. The speed of sound in beryllium metal (the fastest known bulk acoustic medium) is approximately 12.9 nmi/s. 1 nmi/s = 1,852 m/s = 6,667.2 km/h = 3,600 kn ≈ Mach 5.44.
Quick Reference Table
| Feet per Minute (ft/min) | Nautical Miles per Second (nmi/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 ft/min | 2.743 × 10-6 nmi/s |
| 2 ft/min | 5.486 × 10-6 nmi/s |
| 5 ft/min | 1.371 × 10-5 nmi/s |
| 10 ft/min | 2.743 × 10-5 nmi/s |
| 25 ft/min | 6.857 × 10-5 nmi/s |
| 50 ft/min | 0.000137149 nmi/s |
| 100 ft/min | 0.000274298 nmi/s |