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Acceleration Converter

m/s² • ft/s² • g-force • mph/s

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How to Use the Acceleration Converter

Enter a value — type any number. Deceleration is allowed, so negative values are valid here.
Select your From unit — e.g. g-force (standard gravity).
Select your To unit — e.g. meters per second squared (m/s²).
Read the result — the converted value appears instantly, plus a reference grid in m/s², ft/s², g-force and mph/s.
Use the swap button (⇄) — flip the conversion direction in one click.

Why Use This Acceleration Converter

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Exact Standard Gravity

Uses the exact CGPM-defined standard gravity, 1 g = 9.80665 m/s², so g-force conversions are physically precise.

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Car & Physics Ready

Convert 0–60 mph times, g-forces in cornering, and physics homework units in one place.

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100% Private

All conversions run in your browser — no server, no account, nothing sent anywhere.

Acceleration Conversion Guide — m/s², g-force, ft/s² & mph/s

Acceleration measures how quickly velocity changes over time. The SI unit is the meter per second squared (m/s²), meaning the speed increases by that many meters per second, every second. In the United States you'll also encounter feet per second squared (ft/s²) in engineering, g-force in automotive and aerospace contexts, and "mph per second" as an intuitive way to describe car acceleration.

The key reference is standard gravity: an object in free fall near Earth's surface accelerates at 1 g = 9.80665 m/s² = 32.174 ft/s². This is the benchmark for "g-force" — a fighter pilot pulling 9 g feels nine times their body weight, and a typical sports car corners at around 1 g. Car acceleration: a 0–60 mph time of 6 seconds equals 10 mph/s, which is 4.47 m/s² or about 0.46 g. A blistering 0–60 in 3 seconds is 20 mph/s ≈ 8.94 m/s² ≈ 0.91 g — nearly the pull of gravity itself, horizontally.

Quick conversions to remember: 1 g = 9.80665 m/s² = 32.174 ft/s² = 21.94 mph/s. 1 m/s² = 3.281 ft/s² = 2.237 mph/s = 0.102 g. To turn a 0–60 mph time into g-force: divide 60 by the seconds to get mph/s, then divide by 21.94. A 5-second 0–60 car pulls about 0.55 g on average.

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Car Acceleration

0–60 mph in 6 s = 10 mph/s = 4.47 m/s² = 0.46 g. In 4 s = 15 mph/s = 6.7 m/s² = 0.68 g. In 3 s = 20 mph/s = 8.94 m/s² = 0.91 g. Hard braking ≈ 0.8–1.0 g.

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Gravity Around Us

Earth: 9.81 m/s² (1 g). Moon: 1.62 m/s² (0.17 g). Mars: 3.71 m/s² (0.38 g). Jupiter: 24.8 m/s² (2.53 g). Free-fall on Earth gains 9.81 m/s of speed each second.

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g-Force Limits

Commercial jet turn: ~1.5 g. Fighter jet: up to 9 g. Roller coaster peak: 4–6 g. Sustained 5+ g can cause loss of consciousness. Astronaut launch: ~3 g.

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Physics & Units

The "Gal" (cm/s²) is used in geophysics for gravity surveys: 1 Gal = 0.01 m/s². 1 m/s² = 100 Gal. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity — its sign shows direction, so deceleration is just negative acceleration.

Acceleration Conversion FAQ

What is 1 g in m/s²? ▾

1 g (standard gravity) is exactly 9.80665 m/s², which equals 32.174 ft/s². This is the internationally defined value for acceleration due to gravity at Earth's surface (the actual value varies slightly with latitude and altitude, from about 9.78 at the equator to 9.83 at the poles). "Pulling g's" means experiencing acceleration as a multiple of this value.

How do I convert a 0–60 mph time to g-force? ▾

First find the average acceleration in mph/s: divide 60 by the time in seconds. A 0–60 in 5 seconds = 12 mph/s. Then divide by 21.94 (the mph/s in one g) to get g-force: 12 ÷ 21.94 = 0.55 g. Equivalently, 12 mph/s = 5.36 m/s². Note this is the average — peak acceleration off the line is higher.

Can acceleration be negative? ▾

Yes. Acceleration is a vector, so its sign indicates direction. Negative acceleration in the direction of motion is deceleration (slowing down) — for example, hard braking in a car is roughly −0.8 to −1.0 g. This converter accepts negative values for exactly this reason. The conversion factor is the same; only the sign carries through.

What is the difference between m/s² and ft/s²? ▾

They measure the same thing — change in velocity per second — in different length units. 1 m/s² = 3.28084 ft/s² (since 1 meter = 3.28084 feet). So Earth's gravity is 9.80665 m/s² or 32.174 ft/s². To convert, multiply m/s² by 3.28084 to get ft/s², or divide ft/s² by 3.28084 to get m/s².

What is a "Gal" in acceleration? ▾

A Gal (or galileo) equals 1 centimeter per second squared = 0.01 m/s². It's used in geophysics and gravimetry to measure tiny variations in Earth's gravitational field. 1 g ≈ 980.665 Gal. The milligal (0.001 Gal) is common in gravity surveys for oil and mineral exploration.