Sthènes to Kilonewtons (sn to kN)

1 sthène equals 1 kilonewton exactly.

1 sthène = 1 kilonewton

How to convert sthènes to kilonewtons

To convert sthènes to kilonewtons, multiply the number of sthènes by 1. This factor is exact. To go the other way, multiply kilonewtons by 1.

kilonewtons = sthènes × 1

Example: 10 sthènes = 10 kilonewtons.

About these units

Sthène (sn)

French (Ancien Régime)Historical unit (no longer in standard use)

Exactly 1,000 newtons. The force unit of the old French meter-tonne-second (MTS) system, in use from 1919 until the SI.

The word sthène comes from the Ancient Greek sthenos, meaning force or strength. A British Association committee proposed the unit in 1876 under the name funal, and by 1914 it was being called the sthène. France made it legal in 1919 as the force unit of the metre-tonne-second (MTS) system, and a 1920 report in Scientific American Monthly noted the adoption.

One sthène is the force that gives a mass of one tonne an acceleration of one metre per second squared, so it equals exactly 1,000 newtons, or one kilonewton. In older units that is about 101.97 kilograms-force or 224.8 pounds-force. It was meant for engineering work where the newton, or its CGS predecessor the dyne, gave awkwardly small or large numbers.

The Soviet Union also used the MTS system between 1933 and 1955. It was later abandoned in favour of the metre-kilogram-second system and superseded by the SI, in which the same force is simply written as a kilonewton. Related MTS units include the pièze for pressure and the sthène-metre for energy.

1 sthène = 1,000 newtons (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Sthène; Wikipedia: Metre-tonne-second system of units

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

See all force units.