What Is Centimeter per Minute (cm/min)?
Centimeter per minute is a unit of speed. It tells you how many centimeters something moves in one minute. It is useful when things move slowly, or when you want very small and careful measurements.
Definition
A speed has two parts. The first part is a distance. The second part is a time. Centimeter per minute uses centimeters for distance and minutes for time.
So, 1 centimeter per minute means an object moves:
- 1 centimeter of distance
- in 1 minute of time
In short,
Speed in cm per min is how many centimeters are traveled in one minute.
History / Origin
The unit centimeter per minute comes from putting together two older ideas.
- Centimeter is part of the metric system. The metric system was created in France in the late 1700s. It was made to be simple and based on tens. One centimeter is one hundredth of a meter.
- Minute is a time unit that has been used for many centuries. People divided one hour into 60 minutes. This idea goes back to ancient civilizations that liked the number 60.
When scientists and engineers needed small and slow speeds, they sometimes used centimeter per minute. It is not the main standard unit of speed in science, but it is easy to understand in some situations.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The most common way to write centimeter per minute is:
- cm/min
Here is what each part means:
- cm stands for centimeter.
- min stands for minute.
- The slash / means “per”. So cm/min means centimeters per minute.
Sometimes in text you may see it written as:
- centimeter per minute
- centimeters per minute
All of these mean the same thing.
Current Use Around the World
Centimeter per minute is not the main speed unit in daily life. People usually talk about:
- kilometers per hour for cars and roads
- meters per second for science and physics
Still, centimeter per minute is useful in areas where movement is slow or needs to be very exact, such as:
- Laboratories where liquids might flow slowly through tubes
- Medicine when setting drip rates for some medical devices
- Manufacturing when machines move tools or parts slowly and very precisely
- Soil and water tests when measuring how fast water moves through soil
- Education to teach students about speed and unit conversions in an easy way
Because the metric system is used almost everywhere in the world, centimeter per minute can be understood in many countries, even if it is not used every day.
Example Conversions
To use centimeter per minute well, it helps to know how to change it into other speed units.
Convert cm per min to cm per second
There are 60 seconds in 1 minute.
Formula:
speed in cm per second = speed in cm per minute divided by 60
Example: 120 cm per min
- 120 cm per min divided by 60 equals 2 cm per second
So 120 cm per min = 2 cm per second.
Convert cm per min to meters per second
- 1 meter = 100 centimeters
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
Step 1 change centimeters to meters.
speed in m per min = speed in cm per min divided by 100
Step 2 change minutes to seconds.
speed in m per second = speed in m per min divided by 60
Put together, you can also write:
speed in m per second = speed in cm per min divided by 6000
Example: 300 cm per min
- 300 divided by 6000 equals 0.05
So 300 cm per min = 0.05 m per second.
Convert cm per min to kilometers per hour
- 1 kilometer = 100000 centimeters
- 1 hour = 60 minutes
Step 1 change centimeters to kilometers.
speed in km per min = speed in cm per min divided by 100000
Step 2 change minutes to hours.
speed in km per hour = speed in km per min multiplied by 60
Put together:
speed in km per hour = speed in cm per min multiplied by 60 divided by 100000
This is the same as multiplying by 0.0006.
Example: 10000 cm per min
- 10000 multiplied by 0.0006 equals 6
So 10000 cm per min = 6 km per hour.
Convert cm per min to inches per minute
- 1 inch is about 2.54 centimeters.
Formula:
speed in in per min = speed in cm per min divided by 2.54
Example: 25.4 cm per min
- 25.4 divided by 2.54 equals 10
So 25.4 cm per min = 10 inches per minute.
Related Units
Centimeter per minute is one of many speed units. Here are some closely related ones.
- Centimeter per second (cm/s) uses the same distance unit but a shorter time. Good for slightly faster movements.
- Meter per minute (m/min) uses a larger distance unit but the same time unit.
- Meter per second (m/s) the standard speed unit used in science and physics.
- Kilometer per hour (km/h) common for cars, bikes, and road speeds.
- Millimeter per minute (mm/min) for very tiny and slow movements, such as in some machines and lab tools.
- Inch per minute (in/min) a similar slow speed unit used in some countries that use inches.
- Foot per minute (ft/min) another non metric speed unit, sometimes used for lifts and fans.
FAQs
Q: What does centimeter per minute measure?
A: It measures speed. It tells you how fast something moves by showing how many centimeters it travels in one minute.
Q: Is centimeter per minute an SI unit?
A: Centimeter and minute are accepted units in the metric and time systems, but the main SI speed unit is meter per second. Centimeter per minute is a useful extra unit, not the main one.
Q: When should I use cm per min instead of m per s?
A: Use cm per min when motions are slow and distances are small, such as slow liquid flows, small machines, or careful lab work where centimeters are easier to see than meters.
Q: How can I quickly change cm per min to cm per s?
A: Just divide by 60. For example, 60 cm per min divided by 60 is 1 cm per s.
Q: How can I quickly change cm per min to m per s?
A: Divide the value in cm per min by 6000. For example, 600 cm per min divided by 6000 is 0.1 m per s.
Q: Is cm per min used in everyday life?
A: Not very often in normal talk. People use km per hour or m per second more. But cm per min is still useful in science, engineering, and teaching.
