Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
⚛️

Miles per hour

physical science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Miles per hour is a way to measure speed. We often call it mph for short. It tells us how many miles a thing moves in one hour. This unit is used in the United States. It is also used in the United Kingdom. Many smaller countries use it too. These places often have ties to the UK or US.

World Map of Speed Limit Units on Traffic Signs
World Map of Speed Limit Units on Traffic Signs

This unit works by counting distance over time. You look at how far something goes in sixty minutes. One mile is the distance used for the count. One hour is the amount of time passed. It is a simple way to track movement. You can use it for cars on a road. You can also use it for balls in games.

UK 50 mph speed limit sign
UK 50 mph speed limit sign

Many places use mph for road rules. These are called speed limits. You might see a 50 mph sign in the UK. You might see a 65 mph sign in Nevada.

2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles per hour sign along northbound Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) about 10.9 miles north of Nevada State Route 535 (Idaho Street) in Elko County, Nevada
2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles per hour sign along northbound Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) about 10.9 miles north of Nevada State Route 535 (Idaho Street) in Elko County, Nevada

Places like Belize and the Bahamas use it. It is used in the Cayman Islands and the Falkland Islands. It is also used in many British Overseas Territories.

Trains use miles per hour for their speed. Rail systems in Canada and Ireland use this unit. Some rail systems in Britain use it as well. However, some systems do not use it. The Channel Tunnel is one example. High Speed 1 also does not use it. Trams and some metro systems skip it too.

UK 50 mph speed limit sign
UK 50 mph speed limit sign

Some sports use mph to measure speed. You can track a ball in cricket. It is used in tennis and baseball. Ships and planes use a different unit called a knot. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is 1,852 metres long. That is about 6,076 feet. This is different from a regular mile.

2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles per hour sign along northbound Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) about 10.9 miles north of Nevada State Route 535 (Idaho Street) in Elko County, Nevada
2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles per hour sign along northbound Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) about 10.9 miles north of Nevada State Route 535 (Idaho Street) in Elko County, Nevada
295 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (3)
File:World Map of Speed Limit Units on Traffic Signs.svg
World Map of Speed Limit Units on Traffic...
File:UK 50 mph speed limit sign.jpg
UK 50 mph speed limit sign.jpg
File:2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles per hour sign along northbound Nevada State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) about 10.9 miles north of Nevada State Route 535 (Idaho Street) in Elko County, Nevada.JPG
2014-08-19 11 59 11 Speed limit 65 miles...
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.