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Acceleration Converter

Convert between different units of acceleration measurement including standard gravity (g), meters per second squared, and more.

Common Acceleration Conversions

Standard Gravity (g)

  • 1 g = 9.80665 m/s²
  • 1 g = 980.665 cm/s² (Gal)
  • 1 g = 32.174 ft/s²
  • 1 g = 35.30394 km/h·s

SI Units

  • 1 m/s² = 100 cm/s² (Gal)
  • 1 m/s² = 0.10197 g
  • 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s²
  • 1 Gal = 0.001019716 g

Most Common Conversions

  • 1 g ≈ 980.665 Gal (cm/s²)
  • 1 Gal ≈ 0.001019716 g
  • 1 m/s² ≈ 3.28084 ft/s²
  • 1 ft/s² ≈ 0.3048 m/s²
  • 1 km/h² ≈ 1.609×10⁻⁴ mi/s²
  • 1 mi/s² ≈ 6214.0 km/h²
  • 1 mi/s² ≈ 63360 in/s²
  • 1 in/s² ≈ 1.578×10⁻⁵ mi/s²

Real-World Accelerations

  • Earth's Gravity: 1 g = 9.80665 m/s²
  • Moon's Gravity: ~0.1654 g (1.62 m/s²)
  • Mars' Gravity: ~0.3794 g (3.72 m/s²)
  • Car Acceleration (0-60 mph): ~4 seconds = 0.68 g average
  • Fighter Jet: Up to 9 g sustained, 12 g brief
  • Space Shuttle Launch: ~3 g maximum
  • Roller Coaster: 3-6 g typical
  • Human Tolerance: ~5 g vertical, ~45 g horizontal (very brief)

About Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The SI unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²).

Standard Gravity (g)

Standard gravity (symbol: g) is the nominal gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined as exactly 9.80665 m/s². This value is used as a standard reference for measuring acceleration, particularly in aerospace and automotive contexts where g-forces are commonly discussed.

Gal (Galileo)

The Gal or galileo (symbol: Gal) is a unit of acceleration equal to 1 centimeter per second squared (cm/s²). It is named after Galileo Galilei and is commonly used in gravimetry and seismology. 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s².

Positive vs Negative Acceleration

Positive acceleration increases velocity (speeding up), while negative acceleration (deceleration or retardation) decreases velocity (slowing down). The direction of acceleration relative to velocity determines whether an object speeds up or slows down.

G-Forces in Context

Positive G-forces push you down into your seat (experienced during takeoff or acceleration). Negative G-forces pull you up out of your seat (experienced going over a hill quickly). Pilots and astronauts use special training and equipment to withstand high g-forces. Sustained forces above 5g can cause loss of consciousness (G-LOC) without proper equipment.

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