Knots are determined by how many nautical miles are being travelled per hour. 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour. [2] X Research source
For example, if a boat is travelling at 17 knots, to find how many feet per hour, calculate 17×6,076=103,292{\displaystyle 17\times 6,076=103,292}.
For example, if a boat is travelling 103,292 feet per hour, to find out how many miles per hour it is travelling, you would calculate 103,2925,280=19. 56{\displaystyle {\frac {103,292}{5,280}}=19. 56}So, a boat travelling at 17 knots is travelling about 19. 56 miles per hour.
For example, if the wind is blowing at 20 knots, you would calculate as follows:1. 151(20)=y{\displaystyle 1. 151(20)=y}23. 02=y{\displaystyle 23. 02=y}. So, if the wind blows at 20 knots, it is going about 23 miles per hour.
For example, a boat might be travelling 20 mph. Converting to feet per hour: 20×5,280=105,600{\displaystyle 20\times 5,280=105,600}. Converting to knots: 105,6006,076=17. 38{\displaystyle {\frac {105,600}{6,076}}=17. 38}. So, a boat travelling 20 mph is travelling at about 17 knots.
For example, the wind might be blowing at 25 miles per hour. Simply multiply, or use the formula 0. 869x=y{\displaystyle 0. 869x=y}, where x{\displaystyle x} equals the rate in miles per hour, and y{\displaystyle y} equals the rate in knots. 25(0. 869)=21. 725{\displaystyle 25(0. 869)=21. 725} So, wind blowing at 25 mph is blowing at about 22 knots.
To convert how fast the blue boat is travelling in mph to knots, multiply by the number of miles per hour by 0. 869:0. 869(17)=14. 77knots{\displaystyle 0. 869(17)=14. 77;{\text{knots}}} The red boat is travelling at 15 knots; the blue boat is travelling a little less than 15 knots. So the red boat is travelling faster.
