Acceleration Converter
Convert between m/s², g-force, ft/s², and other acceleration units.
Acceleration Converter
Enter an acceleration and select its unit — all others update instantly with a comparative bar chart.
Magnitude Comparison (m/s²)
Quick References
How to Convert Between m/s², G-Force, and ft/s²
Your car's spec sheet says 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. You need the acceleration in m/s² for a physics formula. Type 56.8 (which is 60 mph / 3.5 seconds), select mph/s, and see that it equals 25.4 m/s², 2.59 g, and 83.3 ft/s². The bar chart shows your car accelerates between a sports car (8.9 m/s²) and a fighter jet (29.4 m/s²).
The converter handles 8 units: m/s², g (standard gravity), ft/s², in/s², Gal (cm/s²), km/s², km/h/s, and mph/s. An engineer designing a vibration test enters 10 g and sees it equals 98.07 m/s², 321.74 ft/s², and 9,807 Gal. A seismologist reading 2,500 Gal from a magnitude 7 earthquake sees it equals 25 m/s² and 2.55 g. The bar chart compares your value to elevators, cars, and F1 racers.
Why the unit matters for structural design
A 500 kg satellite mounted on a rocket experiences 5 g during launch. The mounting brackets must withstand 500 x 9.80665 x 5 = 24,517 N. If you accidentally use 5 m/s² instead of 5 g, the brackets are designed for only 2,500 N and fail at launch. Converting g to m/s² correctly (5 x 9.80665 = 49.03 m/s²) ensures the structural analysis is accurate.
Seismometers measure ground acceleration in Gal (cm/s²). A magnitude 7 earthquake produces 1,000-3,000 Gal. To convert to g-force: divide by 980.665. So 2,000 Gal = 2.04 g. Building codes require structures to withstand horizontal forces equal to peak ground acceleration times mass. A 1,000,000 kg building at 2,000 Gal needs to resist 2,000,000 x 0.01 x 9.80665 = 196,133 N.
A frontal crash test at 56 km/h produces peak deceleration of about 60 g for 15 milliseconds. That is 60 x 9.80665 = 588.4 m/s². The airbag must deploy within 30 milliseconds to reduce the occupant deceleration from 60 g to 10 g. Converting between g and m/s² helps engineers design restraint systems that manage energy absorption over the crash duration.
How the Acceleration Converter Handles G-Force and m/s²
All conversions pass through meters per second squared (m/s²). When you enter 2 g, the tool multiplies by 9.80665 to get 19.6133 m/s². Then it divides by each target unit's factor: by 1 for m/s², by 0.3048 for ft/s², by 0.01 for Gal, by 0.44704 for mph/s. The result: 2 g = 19.6133 m/s² = 64.35 ft/s² = 1,961.33 Gal = 43.88 mph/s.
Conversion factors from exact international definitions
Standard gravity is defined as exactly 9.80665 m/s² (3rd CGPM, 1901). The international foot is exactly 0.3048 m (1959). The inch is exactly 0.0254 m (1/12 of a foot). The Gal is exactly 0.01 m/s². km/h/s is exactly 1/3.6 m/s². mph/s is exactly 0.44704 m/s². All factors are exact rational numbers, so the IEEE 754 approximations provide full double-precision accuracy.
The comparative bar chart and its scaling
The SVG bar chart displays your value alongside 6 reference accelerations: elevator (1.5 m/s²), typical car (6.7 m/s²), sports car (8.9 m/s²), Earth gravity (9.81 m/s²), F1 car (19.6 m/s²), and fighter jet (29.4 m/s²). The chart scales dynamically: the longest bar is 1.2x the largest value to prevent overflow. Your bar is highlighted in blue while reference bars are grey.
The chart updates instantly when you change the input value or unit. It handles values from millionths of g (microgravity experiments) to hundreds of g (crash tests). Very small values show as tiny bars with scientific notation labels. Very large values compress the reference bars to near-invisibility. This gives you immediate visual context for whether your acceleration is modest (elevator) or extreme (rocket launch).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert 3 g to m/s²?
Multiply by 9.80665: 3 x 9.80665 = 29.42 m/s². This is roughly 3x the acceleration due to gravity. A roller coaster at the bottom of a loop typically pulls 3-4 g. A fighter pilot in a tight turn can pull 6-9 g. The human body can withstand about 5 g sustained without a g-suit, but only 1-2 g for extended periods without discomfort.
What is the acceleration of a falling object?
Near Earth's surface, all objects fall at approximately 9.81 m/s² (1 g) regardless of mass (ignoring air resistance). After 1 second, the object is moving at 9.81 m/s. After 2 seconds, 19.62 m/s. After 3 seconds, 29.43 m/s. In ft/s², that is 32.17 ft/s². On the Moon, the same object falls at 1.62 m/s² (0.17 g).
What is 1 g in different units?
1 g = 9.80665 m/s² = 32.1740 ft/s² = 386.089 in/s² = 980.665 Gal = 0.00981 km/s² = 35.3036 km/h/s = 21.9368 mph/s. The most common conversions are g to m/s² (multiply by 9.80665) and g to ft/s² (multiply by 32.174).
How many g-forces does a car crash produce?
A frontal crash at 56 km/h (35 mph) produces peak deceleration of about 60 g for 15 milliseconds. The occupant experiences about 20-30 g sustained over 100 milliseconds. Airbags reduce peak force by extending the deceleration time. A head-on collision at 120 km/h produces over 100 g, which is usually fatal without a seatbelt and airbag.
What is the acceleration of gravity on Mars?
Mars gravity is 3.72 m/s² (0.38 g). A 100 kg person weighs 372 N on Mars vs 981 N on Earth. A car that accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds on Earth would take about 6.5 seconds on Mars (same power, less traction). The Moon is 1.62 m/s² (0.17 g), Jupiter is 24.79 m/s² (2.53 g).
Why do seismometers measure in Gal?
Gal (cm/s²) is convenient because earthquake ground accelerations are typically in the range of 100-3,000 Gal (1-30 m/s²). Using Gal avoids awkward decimals. A magnitude 7 earthquake produces 1,000-3,000 Gal. Building codes specify minimum resistance in terms of peak ground acceleration: a structure in a high-seismic zone must withstand 0.3-0.5 g (2,942-4,903 Gal).