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1) The newton 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. 2) One newton is defined as the force needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass at the rate of one metre per second squared. 3) Examples of common forces measured in newtons include the weight of an average apple (about 1 newton) and the weight of an average adult (about 608 newtons).

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60 views

Newton (Unit) : Jump To Navigation Jump To Search

1) The newton 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. 2) One newton is defined as the force needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass at the rate of one metre per second squared. 3) Examples of common forces measured in newtons include the weight of an average apple (about 1 newton) and the weight of an average adult (about 608 newtons).

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Newton (unit)

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Not to be confused with Newton scale, a rarely used non-SI temperature scale.
"Newtons" redirects here. For the snack, see Newtons (cookie).

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

 1Definition

 2Examples

 3Commonly seen as kilonewtons

 4See also

 5References

Definition[edit]
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.[1] The units "metre
per second squared" can be understood as change in velocity per time, i.e. an increase
of velocity by 1 metre per second every second.
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.[2] 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.
The newton is named after Isaac Newton. As with every SI unit named for a person, its
symbol starts with an upper case letter (N), but when written in full it follows the rules for
capitalisation of a common noun; i.e., "newton" becomes capitalised at the beginning of
a sentence and in titles, but is otherwise in lower case.
In more formal terms, Newton's second law of motion states that the force exerted on an
object is directly proportional to the acceleration hence acquired by that object, namely: [3]
where the proportionality constant  represents the mass of the object undergoing an
acceleration . As a result, the newton may be defined in terms
of kilograms (), metres (), and seconds () as
Examples[edit]
At average gravity on Earth (conventionally, 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. [4]
1 N = 0.10197 kg × 9.80665 m/s2    (0.10197 kg = 101.97 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).[5]

Commonly seen as kilonewtons[edit]


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 jet engine are both around 130 kN.
One kilonewton, 1 kN, is equivalent to 102.0 kgf, or about 100 kg of load
under Earth gravity.
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;

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