Dyne to Newton Converter
Our free force pressure & torque converter handles dyne newton conversions. See tables, ratios, and examples for quick reference.
Dyne to Newton Converter
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Formula: N = dyn x 0.00001 | 1 N = 100,000 dyn | 1 kgf = 9.80665 N
Worked example โ 72.8 dyn/cm = 0.0728 N/m
Formula
N = dyn x 0.00001 | 1 N = 100,000 dyn | 1 kgf = 9.80665 N
One dyne equals exactly 0.00001 newtons (10^-5 N). The dyne is the CGS unit of force while the newton is the SI unit. One newton is the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram by 1 meter per second squared. One kilogram-force equals 9.80665 N (standard gravity). One pound-force equals 4.44822 N.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Surface Tension Conversion
Problem:Water has a surface tension of 72.8 dynes/cm. Convert to newtons per meter.
Solution:72.8 dynes/cm = 72.8 x 10^-5 N / 10^-2 m = 72.8 x 10^-3 N/m = 0.0728 N/m The force per unit length in SI units is 0.0728 N/m.
Result:72.8 dyn/cm = 0.0728 N/m
Example 2: Force Unit Comparison
Problem:Convert 50 newtons to dynes, kilogram-force, and pound-force.
Solution:Dynes: 50 x 100,000 = 5,000,000 dyn Kilogram-force: 50 / 9.80665 = 5.0986 kgf Pound-force: 50 / 4.44822 = 11.2404 lbf
Result:50 N = 5,000,000 dyn = 5.10 kgf = 11.24 lbf
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert dynes to newtons?
To convert dynes to newtons, divide by 100,000 (or multiply by 0.00001). One dyne equals exactly 10 to the power of negative 5 newtons. The dyne is the CGS (centimeter-gram-second) unit of force, while the newton is the SI unit. For example, 500,000 dynes equals 5 newtons (500,000 / 100,000 = 5). The relationship is exact because both are derived from fundamental metric units.
What is a dyne and where is it still used?
A dyne is the CGS unit of force equal to the force needed to accelerate a mass of one gram by one centimeter per second squared. While the SI system uses newtons, dynes are still encountered in older scientific literature, surface tension measurements (dynes per centimeter), and some specialized fields like rheology and fluid dynamics. Surface tension of water at room temperature is about 72 dynes/cm. Converting to SI, this is 0.072 N/m.
How do I convert between newtons and pounds of force?
One newton equals approximately 0.224809 pounds-force (lbf), and one pound-force equals 4.44822 newtons. To convert newtons to pound-force, divide by 4.44822. To convert pound-force to newtons, multiply by 4.44822. For example, a 100 N force equals about 22.48 lbf. Pound-force is commonly used in US engineering, while newtons are the international scientific standard for force measurement.
What is a poundal and how does it differ from pound-force?
A poundal is the force that accelerates a mass of one pound at one foot per second squared, and it equals 0.138255 newtons. Pound-force is the weight of a one-pound mass at standard gravity and equals 4.44822 newtons. The two differ by a factor of 32.174, the value of standard gravity in feet per second squared. The poundal belongs to the absolute foot-pound-second system, in which mass is the base unit, while pound-force belongs to the gravitational system, in which force is.
How do other CGS mechanical units relate to their SI equivalents?
The CGS system builds every mechanical unit from the centimetre, gram and second, so each converts to SI by a clean power of ten. Energy in ergs equals dyne-centimetres, and one erg is 10^-7 joules. Pressure in barye is 0.1 pascal. Acceleration in gal, used in gravimetry, is 0.01 metres per second squared. Dynamic viscosity in poise is 0.1 pascal-seconds. Recognising the pattern makes older literature readable without looking each unit up individually.
Why is surface tension quoted in dynes per centimetre?
Surface tension is a force per unit length, and the CGS combination of dynes per centimetre happens to give convenient two-digit numbers for common liquids. The conversion is exact and simple: one dyne per centimetre is 10^-5 newtons divided by 10^-2 metres, which is 10^-3 newtons per metre, or exactly one millinewton per metre. Water near room temperature is about 72 dyn/cm, which is identically 72 mN/m, so the numeric value carries straight across between the two systems.
How do I convert torque from dyne-centimetres to newton-metres?
Torque is force multiplied by distance, so both parts of the unit must be converted. One dyne is 10^-5 newtons and one centimetre is 10^-2 metres, so one dyne-centimetre equals 10^-7 newton-metres. A torque of 5,000,000 dyn-cm therefore becomes 0.5 N-m. The same principle applies to any compound unit: convert each component separately and multiply the factors, rather than applying the force factor alone and leaving the length in centimetres.
What is the difference between the kilogram and the kilogram-force?
The kilogram is an SI base unit of mass, an intrinsic property of an object that does not vary with location. The kilogram-force is a unit of force, defined as the gravitational pull on a one-kilogram mass at standard gravity, and equals 9.80665 newtons exactly. A one-kilogram object has the same mass on the Moon but weighs roughly one sixth as much. Scales that read in kilograms are measuring force and inferring mass by assuming Earth's standard gravity.
Does local gravity change the kilogram-force conversion?
No, because the kilogram-force is defined against a fixed standard gravity of 9.80665 metres per second squared, not against local conditions. Actual gravitational acceleration on Earth varies with latitude and altitude, being slightly weaker near the equator and at high elevation and stronger near the poles, a spread on the order of half a percent. That variation affects what a spring scale reads, but it does not change the definition, which is exactly why a fixed standard value was adopted.
Where do gram-force and ounce-force fit among the smaller force units?
Both are gravitational units scaled down for light loads. A gram-force is one thousandth of a kilogram-force, or 0.00980665 N, roughly a thousand dynes. An ounce-force is one sixteenth of a pound-force, which works out to about 0.278014 N. They appear on spring gauges, tension testers and keyboard-switch specifications, where quoting fractions of a newton would be awkward. Converting either to newtons first gives a common basis before comparing them.
References
Background & Theory
1 dyne = 0.00001 newtons exactly, so 1 newton = 100,000 dyne. The relationship is a clean power of ten because the dyne is the CGS force unit - one gram-centimetre per second squared - and the newton is its SI counterpart at kilogram-metre scale.
Conversion reference table
| Conversion | Equivalent | Exact or rounded? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 dyne | 0.00001 newtons (10^-5 N) | Exact by definition |
| 1 newton | 100,000 dyne | Exact |
| 1 dyne | 1 gram centimetre per second squared | Exact by definition |
| 1 erg (dyne-centimetre) | 0.0000001 joules (10^-7 J) | Exact |
| 1 dyne per centimetre | 0.001 newtons per metre | Exact - surface tension |
| Water surface tension at 20 C | 72.8 dyn/cm = 0.0728 N/m | Measured |
The dyne survives mainly in surface tension and interfacial work, where dynes per centimetre remain the conventional unit and convert to millinewtons per metre one for one - 72.8 dyn/cm is 72.8 mN/m. The wider CGS system also gives the erg for energy, the gauss for magnetic flux density and the poise for viscosity, all of which relate to their SI counterparts by exact powers of ten because the underlying gram-to-kilogram and centimetre-to-metre steps are themselves decimal.
Reviewed for accuracy by Manoj Kumar, Mathematics Educator ยท Editorial policy
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