Convert poundal to newton
Selected category: force.
Definition and details for poundal:
Poundal (pdl or pl) is the unit of force in the British absolute system of units, used in engineering. One poundal is the force that accelerates a mass of 1 pound at a rate of one foot per second per second. This force is equal to approximately 0.138255 newtons. Today newton, is the preferred unit of force in engineering and technical work. Poundal was invented in the 1870s by the British mathematician James Thomson.
Definition and details for newton:
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.