Newton (unit)
| Newton | |
|---|---|
 Visualization of one newton of force | |
| General information | |
| Unit system | SI derived unit |
| Unit of | Force |
| Symbol | N |
| Named after | Sir Isaac Newton |
| Conversions | |
| 1 N in ... | ... is equal to ... |
SI base units | 1 kg⋅m⋅s−2 |
British Gravitational System | 0.2248089 lbf |
The newton (symbol: N) is the International System of Units (SI) derived unit of force. It is named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics, specifically Newton's second law of motion.
See below for the conversion factors.
Contents
1 Definition
2 Examples
3 Commonly seen as kilonewtons
4 Conversion factors
5 See also
6 Notes and references
Definition
One newton is the force needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass at the rate of one metre per second squared in the direction of the applied force.
In 1946, Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) Resolution 2 standardized the unit of force in the MKS system of units to be the amount needed to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at the rate of 1 metre per second squared. In 1948, the 9th CGPM Resolution 7 adopted the name newton for this force.[1] The MKS system then became the blueprint for today's SI system of units. The newton thus became the standard unit of force in the Système international d'unités (SI), or International System of Units.
This SI unit is named after Isaac Newton. As with every International System of Units (SI) unit named for a person, the first letter of its symbol is upper case (N). However, when an SI unit is spelled out in English, it is treated as a common noun and should always begin with a lower case letter (newton)—except in a situation where any word in that position would be capitalized, such as at the beginning of a sentence or in material using title case.
Newton's second law of motion states that F = ma, where F is the force applied, m is the mass of the object receiving the force, and a is the acceleration of the object. The newton is therefore:[2]
F
=
m
⋅
a
1 N
=
1 kg
⋅
1 m/s2
where the following symbols are used for the units: N for newton, kg for kilogram, m for metre, and s for second.
In dimensional analysis:
- F=MLT2{displaystyle {mathsf {F}}={frac {mathsf {ML}}{{mathsf {T}}^{2}}}}
where F{displaystyle {mathsf {F}}}
Examples
At average gravity on Earth (conventionally, 7000980665000000000♠g = 9.80665 m/s2), a kilogram mass exerts a force of about 9.8 newtons. An average-sized apple exerts about one newton of force, which we measure as the apple's weight.[3]
- 1 N = 0.102 kg × 9.80665 m/s2 (6999102000000000000♠0.102 kg = 102 g)
The weight of an average adult exerts a force of about 608 N.
- 608 N = 62 kg × 9.80665 m/s2 (where 62 kg is the world average adult mass)[4]
Commonly seen as kilonewtons
It is common to see forces expressed in kilonewtons (kN) where 1 kN = 1000 N. For example, the tractive effort of a Class Y steam train locomotive and the thrust of an F100 fighter jet engine are both around 130 kN.
One kilonewton, 1 kN, is 102.0 kgf, or about 100 kg of load.
- 1 kN = 102 kg × 9.81 m/s2
So for example, a platform that shows it is rated at 321 kilonewtons (72,000 lbf), will safely support a 32,100 kilograms (70,800 lb) load.
Specifications in kilonewtons are common in safety specifications for:
- the holding values of fasteners, Earth anchors, and other items used in the building industry.
- working loads in tension and in shear.
rock climbing equipment.
thrust of rocket engines and launch vehicles
- clamping forces of the various moulds in injection moulding machines used to manufacture plastic parts.
Conversion factors
newton (SI unit) | dyne | kilogram-force, kilopond | pound-force | poundal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 N | ≡ 1 kg⋅m/s2 | = 105 dyn | ≈ 0.10197 kp | ≈ 0.22481 lbf | ≈ 7.2330 pdl |
| 1 dyn | = 10−5 N | ≡ 1 g⋅cm/s2 | ≈ 1.0197 × 10−6 kp | ≈ 2.2481 × 10−6 lbf | ≈ 7.2330 × 10−5 pdl |
| 1 kp | = 9.80665 N | = 980665 dyn | ≡ gn ⋅ (1 kg) | ≈ 2.2046 lbf | ≈ 70.932 pdl |
| 1 lbf | ≈ 4.448222 N | ≈ 444822 dyn | ≈ 0.45359 kp | ≡ gn ⋅ (1 lb) | ≈ 32.174 pdl |
| 1 pdl | ≈ 0.138255 N | ≈ 13825 dyn | ≈ 0.014098 kp | ≈ 0.031081 lbf | ≡ 1 lb⋅ft/s2 |
| The value of gn as used in the official definition of the kilogram-force is used here for all gravitational units. | |||||
Base | Force | Weight | Mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd law of motion | m = F/a | F = W ⋅ a/g | F = m ⋅ a | |||||
| System | BG | GM | EE | M | AE | CGS | MTS | SI |
Acceleration (a) | ft/s2 | m/s2 | ft/s2 | m/s2 | ft/s2 | Gal | m/s2 | m/s2 |
Mass (m) | slug | hyl | pound-mass | kilogram | pound | gram | tonne | kilogram |
Force (F), weight (W) | pound | kilopond | pound-force | kilopond | poundal | dyne | sthène | newton |
Pressure (p) | pound per square inch | technical atmosphere | pound-force per square inch | atmosphere | poundal per square foot | barye | pieze | pascal |
| Multiples | Prefix name | deca | hecto | kilo | mega | giga | tera | peta | exa | zetta | yotta | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prefix symbol | da | h | k | M | G | T | P | E | Z | Y | ||
| Factor | 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 106 | 109 | 1012 | 1015 | 1018 | 1021 | 1024 | |
| | ||||||||||||
| Submultiples | Prefix name | | deci | centi | milli | micro | nano | pico | femto | atto | zepto | yocto |
| Prefix symbol | d | c | m | μ | n | p | f | a | z | y | ||
| Factor | 100 | 10−1 | 10−2 | 10−3 | 10−6 | 10−9 | 10−12 | 10−15 | 10−18 | 10−21 | 10−24 | |
See also
- Force gauge
International System of Units (SI)
Joule, SI unit of energy, 1 newton exerted over a distance of 1 metre
Kilogram-force, force exerted by Earth's gravity at sea level on one kilogram of mass- Kip (unit)
Pascal, SI unit of pressure, 1 newton acting on an area of 1 square metre
- Orders of magnitude (force)
- Pound (force)
- Sthène
Newton metre, SI unit of torque
Notes and references
^ International Bureau of Weights and Measures (1977), The international system of units (330–331) (3rd ed.), U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, p. 17, ISBN 0745649742..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Table 3. Coherent derived units in the SI with special names and symbols". The International System of Units (SI). International Bureau of Weights and Measures. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-06-18.
^ Whitbread BSc (Hons) MSc DipION, Daisy. "What weighs 100g?". Retrieved 28 August 2015.
^ Walpole, Sarah Catherine; Prieto-Merino, David; Edwards, Phillip; Cleland, John; Stevens, Gretchen; Roberts, Ian (2012). "The weight of nations: an estimation of adult human biomass". BMC Public Health (12): 439. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-439.
^ Comings, E. W. (1940). "English Engineering Units and Their Dimensions". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. 32 (7): 984–987. doi:10.1021/ie50367a028.
^ Klinkenberg, Adrian (1969). "The American Engineering System of Units and Its Dimensional Constant gc". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. 61 (4): 53–59. doi:10.1021/ie50712a010.
SI units | ||
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| Base units |
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| Derived units with special names |
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| Other accepted units |
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| See also |
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