One pound-force equals how many Newtons?

One pound-force equals how many Newtons?

• A. 4.448 Newtons
• B. 1.0 Newton
• C. 0.5 Newtons
• D. 2.0 Newtons

Answer: (A)

Understanding how pound-force relates to the Newton hinges on a simple unit conversion using standard gravity. A Newton is the force that gives a mass of 1 kilogram an acceleration of 1 meter per second squared. A pound-force is defined as the force required to accelerate a mass of 0.45359237 kilograms (one pound) at standard gravity, 9.80665 m/s^2. Multiply these: 0.45359237 kg × 9.80665 m/s^2 ≈ 4.44822 N. So one pound-force is about 4.448 Newtons. The other numbers are much smaller than this conversion, which is why 4.448 Newtons is the correct choice.

Understanding how pound-force relates to the Newton hinges on a simple unit conversion using standard gravity. A Newton is the force that gives a mass of 1 kilogram an acceleration of 1 meter per second squared. A pound-force is defined as the force required to accelerate a mass of 0.45359237 kilograms (one pound) at standard gravity, 9.80665 m/s^2. Multiply these: 0.45359237 kg × 9.80665 m/s^2 ≈ 4.44822 N. So one pound-force is about 4.448 Newtons. The other numbers are much smaller than this conversion, which is why 4.448 Newtons is the correct choice.