Newton

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For other uses, see Newton (disambiguation).

The newton (symbol: N) is the SI unit of force. It is named after Sir Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics.

1 Definition
2 Examples
3 Conversions
4 References

[edit] Definition

A newton is the amount of force required to accelerate a body with a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second squared.

A newton in elementary units:

$1\, \mathrm{N}=1\, \mathrm{kg} \cdot \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}^{2}$

[edit] Examples

1 N is the force of Earth's gravity on an apple with a mass of about 102 g.
On Earth's surface, a mass of 1 kg exerts an average force of 9.8 N on its support. The approximation, 1 kg corresponding to 10 N, is used in everyday use and in engineering except where strict accuracy is required.
The force of Earth's gravity on a human being weighing 70 kg is approximately 700 N.
The scalar product of force and distance (1 N * 1 m) is the basic unit of energy, joule, in the SI system.

[edit] Conversions

**Units of force**
	Newton (SI unit)	Dyne	Kilogram-force (Kilopond)	Pound-force	Poundal
1 N	≡ 1 kg·m/s²	= 10⁵ dyn	≈ 0.10197 kp	≈ 0.22481 lb_f	≈ 7.2330 pdl
1 dyn	= 10⁻⁵ N	≡ 1 g·cm/s²	≈ 1.0197×10⁻⁶ kp	≈ 2.2481×10⁻⁶ lb_f	≈ 7.2330×10⁻⁵ pdl
1 kp	= 9.80665 N	= 980665 dyn	≡ g_n·(1 kg)	≈ 2.2046 lb_f	≈ 70.932 pdl
1 lb_f	≈ 4.448222 N	≈ 444822 dyn	≈ 0.45359 kp	≡ g_n·(1 lb)	≈ 32.174 pdl
1 pdl	≈ 0.138255 N	≈ 13825 dyn	≈ 0.014098 kp	≈ 0.031081 lb_f	≡ 1 lb·ft/s²
The value of g_n as used in the official definition of the kilogram-force is used here for all gravitational units.

This SI unit is named after Isaac Newton. As for all SI units whose names are derived from the proper name of a person, the first letter of its symbol is uppercase (N). But when an SI unit is spelled out, it should always be written in lowercase (newton), unless it begins a sentence or is the name "degree Celsius".

— Based on The International System of Units, section 5.2.

[edit] References

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