The knot (/n?t/) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h (approximately 1.15078 mph). The ISO standard symbol for the knot is kn. The same symbol is preferred by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); kt is also common.
What instrument is used to measure knots?
A chip log, also called common log, ship log, or just log, is a navigation tool mariners use to estimate the speed of a vessel through water. The word knot, to mean nautical mile per hour, derives from this measurement method.
Why do we measure speed in knots?
This is precisely like miles per hour or kilometers per hour. Therefore, asking why nautical speed measurements are done in knots is effectively asking why nautical miles are used instead of simply miles or kilometers. And that reason is because of navigation. One nautical mile is 1 minute of arc on any meridian.