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In physics, the newton (symbol: N) is the SI unit of force, named after Sir Isaac Newton in recognition of his work on classical mechanics. It was adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1960. It is defined as the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one metre per second squared.

The newton is an SI derived unit, comprising kg × m × s^-2 in SI base units.

Since weight is the force acting between two objects due to gravity, the newton is also the unit of weightFor the 1994 album by the group Rollins Band, see Weight (album). Weight is the force exerted upon an object by virtue of its position in a gravitational field. In a constant gravitational field, such as the Earth's, this force is proportional to the obje. A mass of one kilogram near the Earth's surface has a weight of approximately 9.81 newtons, although this figure varies by a few tenths of one per cent over the Earth's surface. Conversely, an object with a mass of 9.81^-1 kg (≈101.94 grams) weighs roughly one newton. Rather fittingly, given the story about Newton's discovery of gravity, this is about the mass of a small apple.

See also

• Sir Isaac Newton
• SI
• dyneIn physics, the dyne is a unit of force specified in the centimetre-gram-second (cgs) system of units, symbol "dyn". One dyne is equal to exactly 10-5 newtons. Further, the dyne can be defined as "the force required to accelerate a mass of one gram at a r, the unit of force of the (mostly obsolete) CGS system