Mean piston speed
![The comparison of mean piston speed (black line) with real piston speed (color lines). Diagram shows one stroke from BDC to TDC. Revolution = 1.000 min-1, stroke = 88 mm. The connecting rod ratio l/r varies: 3 - red, 4 - green, 5,5 - blue](/Images/godic/202502/03/Mean_piston_speed5957.png")
The mean piston speed is the average speed of the piston in a reciprocating engine. It is a function of stroke and RPM. There is a factor of 2 in the equation to account for one stroke to occur in 1/2 of a crank revolution (or alternatively: two strokes per one crank revolution) and a '60' to convert seconds from minutes in the RPM term.