Poundal to Newton Converter

A poundal (pdl) is a unit of force in the foot-pound-second (FPS) system, defined as the force required to accelerate a mass of one pound at a rate of one foot per second squared. It equals approximately 0.138 newtons.

The poundal was introduced in 1879 as part of the foot-pound-second system to provide a force unit based on fundamental physical principles rather than gravitational force. It was designed to be the imperial equivalent of the newton but never achieved widespread adoption.

Poundals are rarely used in modern applications, appearing mainly in historical engineering literature and some specialized physics contexts. They've been largely replaced by pound-force in practical applications and newtons in scientific work.

A newton (N) is the SI base unit of force, defined as the force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second squared. It represents the fundamental measure of force in the International System of Units.

The newton was named after Sir Isaac Newton in 1946 and adopted as the SI unit of force in 1960. It replaced various regional force units and provided a unified measure based on fundamental physical principles, directly relating force to mass and acceleration.

Newtons are universally used in scientific calculations, engineering applications, physics education, and force measurements. They're fundamental to all force calculations in science and engineering, from molecular forces to mechanical systems, and are the basis for all other force units.