Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The pound-force is equal to the gravitational force exerted on a mass of one avoirdupois pound on the surface of Earth.Since the 18th century, the unit has been used in low-precision measurements, for which small changes in Earth's gravity (which varies from equator to pole by up to half a percent) can safely be neglected.
Together with the fact that the term "weight" is used for the gravitational force in some technical contexts (physics, engineering) and for mass in others (commerce, law), [10] and that the distinction often does not matter in practice, the coexistence of variants of the FPS system causes confusion over the nature of the unit "pound".
Systems of measure either define mass and derive a force unit or define a base force and derive a mass unit [1] (cf. poundal, a derived unit of force in a mass-based system). A slug is defined as a mass that is accelerated by 1 ft/s 2 when a net force of one pound (lbf) is exerted on it. [2]
The pound-force provides an alternative unit of mass: one slug is the mass that will accelerate by one foot per second squared when acted on by one pound-force. [58] An alternative unit of force in a different foot–pound–second system, the absolute fps system, is the poundal , defined as the force required to accelerate a one-pound mass at ...
Meaning SI unit of measure alpha: alpha particle: angular acceleration: radian per second squared (rad/s 2) fine-structure constant: unitless beta: velocity in terms of the speed of light c: unitless beta particle: gamma: Lorentz factor: unitless photon: gamma ray: shear strain: radian
The foot-pound force (symbol: ft⋅lbf, [1] ft⋅lb f, [2] or ft⋅lb [3]) is a unit of work or energy in the engineering and gravitational systems in United States customary and imperial units of measure. It is the energy transferred upon applying a force of one pound-force (lbf) through a linear displacement of one foot.
Units for other physical quantities are derived from this set as needed. In English Engineering Units, the pound-mass and the pound-force are distinct base units, and Newton's Second Law of Motion takes the form = where is the acceleration in ft/s 2 and g c = 32.174 lb·ft/(lbf·s 2).
The poundal is defined as the force necessary to accelerate an object of one-pound mass at 1 ft/s 2, and is equivalent to about 1/32.2 of a pound-force. The slug is defined as the amount of mass that accelerates at 1 ft/s 2 when one pound-force is exerted on it, and is equivalent to about 32.2 pounds (mass).