Newton (N)
In 1948, the General Conference on Weights and Measures designated the newton as the SI unit for measuring force, naming it in recognition of Sir Isaac Newton’s contributions to physics. Defined as the force needed to accelerate a 1-kilogram mass by 1 meter per second squared, the newton connects directly to the basic SI units for mass, distance, and time. It is the standard unit for quantifying force, weight, and pressure in scientific and engineering fields. This clear definition supports consistent international measurement and highlights the newton’s foundational role in science and technology.
Dyne (dyn)
The dyne (dyn) is a force unit in the centimeter–gram–second (CGS) system. It was common in 19th and early 20th-century physics. One dyne equals 10⁻⁵ newtons. It is the force needed to accelerate a mass of one gram by one centimeter per second squared. Today, science uses the newton, but dynes are still used in specialized fields, such as measuring surface tension in chemistry and physics. The dyne helped bridge old metric units with today’s SI.