2006-11-27 02:47:09 · 4 answers · asked by catfish 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
One nautical mile (at sea) is 6076 feet. A land mile is 5280 feet. A knot is one nautical mile per hour, or 6086/5280 = 1.15 mi/hr. The expression comes from the olden days practice of using a rope with knots every 6076 feet to measure speed at sea. A buoy would be put in the water off the stern of the boat, and the rope paid out and timed. When the knot passted over the stern, that was one nautical mile, and the speed could then be calculated using the time.
2006-11-27 02:59:31 · answer #1 · answered by TitoBob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One "knot" is one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is about 1.15 statute miles, which is the mile used on land. So a knot is 1.15 miles per hour.
2006-11-27 10:52:50 · answer #2 · answered by Keith P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe the term is actually "nautical mile". Here you go, courtesy of Wikipedia:
nautical:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_mile
mph:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile_per_hour
2006-11-27 10:58:09 · answer #3 · answered by moonshadow 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So how do they come up with this??? Why not just be a regular mile???
2006-11-27 10:55:02 · answer #4 · answered by chazzer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋