Conversion Center

Newton (N) is the SI unit of force, defined as the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second per second. One Newton is equal to a force of 100.000 dynes in CGS (centimeter-gram-second) system, or a force of about 0.2248 pound in the foot-pound-second (English, or customary) system. This unit was named for Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the British mathematician, physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian. He was the first person who understood clearly the relationship between force (F), mass (m) and acceleration (a) expressed by the formula F = ma. Newton unit was first suggested by Robertson in 1904. In 1948 it was officially adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) as the name for the mks unit of force.