Dynes to Kilonewtons (dyn to kN)

1 dyne equals 1×10⁻⁸ kilonewtons exactly.

How to convert dynes to kilonewtons

To convert dynes to kilonewtons, multiply the number of dynes by 1×10⁻⁸. This factor is exact. To go the other way, multiply kilonewtons by 100,000,000.

kilonewtons = dynes × 1×10⁻⁸

Example: 10 dynes = 1×10⁻⁷ kilonewtons.

About these units

Dyne (dyn)

CGS & old metricTraditional unit (still used in some regions)

Exactly 10⁻⁵ newtons, the CGS unit of force: one gram-centimeter per second squared.

Dyne derives from the Ancient Greek dynamis, meaning power or force. The name was first put forward in 1873 by a committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, a group that included James Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson, the future Lord Kelvin. They were choosing names for dynamical units built on the centimeter, gram and second, and the dyne became the force unit of that system.

By definition it is the force that gives a mass of one gram an acceleration of one centimeter per second squared. That is exactly 10 micronewtons, or 0.00001 newton, so 100,000 dynes make one newton. A kilogram-force is 980,665 dynes. Physicists still meet it in surface tension, where water at 25 degrees Celsius is about 72 dynes per centimeter. The pressure unit that goes with it is the barye, one dyne per square centimeter, and the unit of work is the erg.

1 dyne = 0.00001 newtons (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Dyne; Wikipedia: Centimetre-gram-second system of units; NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8 conversion factors

Kilonewton (kN)

Metric (SI)Current unit

1,000 newtons. Used for structural loads, climbing gear ratings and engine thrust.

Kilonewtons exist because the newton is small. The prefix kilo- dates to the 1795 French decimal system and means one thousand, and attaching it to the newton, which the CGPM named in 1948, gives a unit sized for the loads that engineers actually handle. A kilonewton is 1,000 newtons.

One kilonewton is the weight of roughly 102 kilograms at standard gravity, or about 510 of the 200-gram apples that make a handy picture of a single newton. Structural engineers quote building and bridge loads this way, and rocket and jet engine makers quote thrust in kilonewtons and meganewtons. Each Space Shuttle solid rocket booster produced 3,300,000 pounds-force, or 14.7 meganewtons, which is 14,700 kilonewtons. Strengths of ropes, anchors and climbing hardware are also commonly given in the unit.

1 kilonewton = 1,000 newtons (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Newton (unit); Wikipedia: Metric prefix; Wikipedia: Pound (force)

Related conversions

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