What Is Yard per Second (yd/s)?
Yard per second is a unit that measures speed. It tells you how many yards an object travels during one second. It is often used to describe how fast something is moving, especially in places that use yards and feet.
Definition
One yard per second means an object moves a distance of exactly one yard in exactly one second of time.
A yard is a unit of length that is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches. A second is the standard unit of time that measures very short time periods.
So if a runner moves 5 yards in 1 second, their speed is 5 yards per second, written as 5 yd/s.
In metric units:
- 1 yard = 0.9144 meter
- Therefore, 1 yd/s = 0.9144 meters per second (m/s)
History / Origin
The unit yard per second comes from combining an old length unit, the yard, with the basic time unit, the second.
Yard:
- The yard has been used in England for many hundreds of years.
- Long ago, it was linked to the length of a person’s arm or other body parts.
- Today, the yard is exactly defined using the meter. One yard is exactly 0.9144 meter.
Second:
- The second is part of the modern international system of units for time.
- It used to be based on the Earth’s rotation, but now it is defined using very accurate atomic clocks.
When people wanted to talk about speed using yards instead of meters, they naturally combined yard with second, creating the unit yard per second for speed.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The standard way to write yard per second is:
- yd/s
Here is what each part means:
- yd stands for yard.
- / means “per” which is “for each” or “in every”.
- s stands for second.
You might sometimes see it written as yd sec-1 in science texts, but yd/s is much more common in simple writing.
Current Use Around the World
Yard per second is not a main international unit, but it still appears in some places.
- United States and United Kingdom: Yards are still used in sports, such as American football and some track and field events. Coaches or players might talk about how many yards per second an athlete can run, even if it is not always written that way.
- Everyday life: People usually use miles per hour or kilometers per hour to talk about car or bike speed, not yard per second.
- Science and engineering: Most scientists use meters per second (m/s). Yard per second might be used only when working with older data or with people who prefer yard based units.
Overall, yard per second is a useful way to think about speed when distances are already given in yards, but it is less common than units like m/s or mph.
Example Conversions
These examples show how to change between yard per second and other common speed units.
Between yard per second and meter per second
- 1 yd/s = 0.9144 m/s
- 5 yd/s = 5 × 0.9144 = 4.572 m/s
- 10 yd/s = 10 × 0.9144 = 9.144 m/s
Between yard per second and kilometer per hour
First, remember that 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h.
- 1 yd/s = 0.9144 m/s
- So 1 yd/s = 0.9144 × 3.6 ≈ 3.29 km/h
Examples:
- 2 yd/s ≈ 2 × 3.29 = 6.58 km/h
- 5 yd/s ≈ 5 × 3.29 = 16.45 km/h
Between yard per second and mile per hour
We can go through m/s again, using 1 m/s ≈ 2.237 mph.
- 1 yd/s = 0.9144 m/s ≈ 0.9144 × 2.237 ≈ 2.05 mph
Examples:
- 3 yd/s ≈ 3 × 2.05 ≈ 6.15 mph
- 10 yd/s ≈ 10 × 2.05 ≈ 20.5 mph
Between yard per second and foot per second
Because 1 yard = 3 feet:
- 1 yd/s = 3 ft/s
- 4 yd/s = 4 × 3 = 12 ft/s
- 10 yd/s = 10 × 3 = 30 ft/s
Related Units
Yard per second is one of many ways to measure speed. Here are some related units and how they compare.
- Meter per second (m/s) The main speed unit in science and in the International System of Units. 1 yd/s = 0.9144 m/s.
- Kilometer per hour (km/h) Common for car and bike speeds in many countries. 1 yd/s ≈ 3.29 km/h.
- Mile per hour (mph) Common on road signs in the United States and United Kingdom. 1 yd/s ≈ 2.05 mph.
- Foot per second (ft/s) Another non metric speed unit. 1 yd/s = 3 ft/s.
- Knot (kt) Used in ships and planes, meaning nautical miles per hour. Not directly based on yards, but it is another common speed unit.
FAQs
What does yard per second mean in simple words
Yard per second means how many yards something moves in one second. If a ball travels 6 yards in 1 second, its speed is 6 yd/s.
Is yard per second a standard scientific unit
No, the standard scientific unit for speed is meter per second (m/s). Yard per second is used mainly where yards are still common, such as in some sports or older data.
How do I convert yard per second to meter per second
Multiply by 0.9144. For example, 4 yd/s × 0.9144 = 3.6576 m/s.
How do I convert yard per second to miles per hour
First change yd/s to m/s by multiplying by 0.9144, then multiply by about 2.237 to get mph. Together, 1 yd/s is about 2.05 mph.
Where might I see yard per second used
You might see or hear yard per second when people talk about running speeds, ball speeds, or distances in sports fields that are marked in yards, such as American football.
Is yard per second faster or slower than meter per second
One yard per second is a little slower than one meter per second, because a yard is slightly shorter than a meter.
