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One newton of force equals which combination of SI base units?

1 N = 1 kg times m/s squared, straight from F = ma.

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  1. 1 kg times m/s squared ✔
  2. 1 kg times m/s
  3. 1 kg times 9.81 m

Why: Newton's second law says force equals mass times acceleration. One newton is the force that speeds up 1 kilogram by 1 meter per second, every second.

Huh, didn't know that: Statics teachers compare one newton to the weight of an apple, and one kilogram of mass to a pineapple.

The dad joke
Why did the newton bring a ruler? It wanted to measure its force of habit.
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References

Answer: 1 kg times m/s squared. Newton's second law says force equals mass times acceleration. One newton is the force that speeds up 1 kilogram by 1 meter per second, every second.

  1. Engineering Statics (Baker and Haynes, Colorado State): 1.2 Units engineeringstatics.org/Chapter_01-units.html
    One newton is equal to
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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