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Newton's second law states that force equals mass multiplied by acceleration. The unit of force is the newton (N), and mass has the SI unit kilogram (kg). One newton equals one kilogram metre per second squared. Therefore, the unit metre per second squared is equivalent to newton per kilogram, N·kg −1, or N/kg. [2]
A newton is defined as 1 kg⋅m/s 2 (it is a named derived unit defined in terms of the SI base units). [1]: 137 One newton is, therefore, the force needed to accelerate one kilogram of mass at the rate of one metre per second squared in the direction of the applied force.
Near the surface of the Earth, the acceleration due to gravity g = 9.807 m/s 2 (metres per second squared, which might be thought of as "metres per second, per second"; or 32.18 ft/s 2 as "feet per second per second") approximately. A coherent set of units for g, d, t and v is essential.
Acceleration has the dimensions of velocity (L/T) divided by time, i.e. L T −2. The SI unit of acceleration is the metre per second squared (m s −2); or "metre per second per second", as the velocity in metres per second changes by the acceleration value, every second.
Coherence may be restored, without changing the units, by choosing k = 3.6; then the kilometre per hour is a coherent derived unit, with 1 kmph = 1 m/s, and the metre per second is a non-coherent derived unit, with 1 m/s = 3.6 m/s. A definition of a physical quantity is a statement that determines the ratio of any two instances of the quantity.
The quectometre (SI symbol: qm) is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 10 −30 metres. To help compare different orders of magnitude, this section lists lengths shorter than 10 −30 m (1 qm).
The angstrom (symbol Å) is a unit of distance used in chemistry and atomic physics equal to 100 pm. The micron (μ) is a unit of distance equal to one micrometre (1 μm). The basic module (M) is a unit of distance equal to one hundred millimetres (100 mm). The myriametre (mym) is a unit of distance equal to ten kilometres (10 km).
The metre per second is the unit of both speed (a scalar quantity) and velocity (a vector quantity, which has direction and magnitude) in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the speed of a body covering a distance of one metre in a time of one second.