Measuring wind power

A nautical mile is a measurement of distance at sea, based on the circumference of the earth. One nautical mile is equal to the ‘distance travelled in one minute of latitude’. A nautical mile (NM) can be defined as 1852 metres. A knot is a measurement of speed that is equal to one nautical mile per hour (1 knot = 1.85km per hour). 10 knots = 18.5 km/hr.

This resource is an extension of the “Harnessing the Power of the Wind” resource and aims to build on existing knowledge of the way in which wind is used by sailboats to travel. Students will calculate distances and gain an understanding of measurements used such as nautical miles, kilometres and knots.