When converting from kilometers per hour to meters per second, what operation is performed?

To convert from kilometers per hour to meters per second, you need to understand the relationship between these two units of measurement.

One kilometer is equal to 1,000 meters, and one hour is equal to 3,600 seconds. When you want to convert kilometers per hour (km/h) to meters per second (m/s), you can use these conversions to find the factor you need.

The calculation involves taking the kilometers per hour value and converting it to meters per second by recognizing that 1 km/h is equivalent to:

1 km/h = (1,000 meters) / (3,600 seconds) = 1/3.6 m/s (approximately 0.27778 m/s)

Thus, to convert kilometers per hour to meters per second, you divide the speed in kilometers per hour by 3.6. This division effectively adjusts the unit from an hour-based measurement to a second-based measurement, providing the desired value in meters per second.

Therefore, the operation that should be performed is to divide by 3.6, which is why this is the correct answer.