Calculate Force

Calculating the physical force from the mass of a body, or the other way around. In physics, force is the quantity that can accelerate and deform bodies. Force can result from the mass of a body that is in a gravitational field. In most cases relevant to us, this gravitational field is that of the earth with the acceleration due to gravity acting there, but this calculation can also be carried out for other celestial bodies and objects. The physics is the same everywhere in the universe, the value for the acceleration due to gravity depends on the size and mass of the object.

9.81 m/ss² is the average value for the gravitational acceleration on earth. For the acceleration due to gravity elsewhere, see weight.

The formula for the calculation is: force = mass * acceleration due to gravity, or more generally: force = mass * acceleration
F = m * g or F = m * a

Example: a person with a mass of 75 kilograms has an average weight of 735.75 Newtons on Earth, so is pulled towards the center of the Earth by this force.

The unit of force, Newton, named after Isaac Newton, is defined as one kilogram times meter divided by second squared. One Newton is exactly the force needed to bring a body with a mass of one kilogram from a resting state to a speed of one meter per second in one second. The Newton has been the official international unit of force since 1948. It can be provided with the usual prefixes, such as kN for kilonewton (1000 N), and mN for millinewton (0.001 N). The otherwise rare deca is also often used for Newton, daN for decanewton (10 N), since it corresponds to almost one kilogram on Earth.