Newton, is the unit of force in the International System of Units, commonly referred to as the metric system. Its symbol is N. The newton was named for the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton. One newton is the force required to increase or decrease the velocity of a 1-kilogram object by 1 meter per second every second. The number of newtons needed to accelerate an object can be calculated by using Newton’s second law of motion. That law can be expressed by the formula: F = ma. The mass (m) of the object in kilograms is multiplied by the acceleration (a) in meters per second squared to determine the force (F).
Force is measured in pounds in the inch-pound system of measurement customarily used in the United States. One newton equals about 0.225 pound of force.
