How to Calculate Force

Calculate the force of an item by figuring its mass.

Knowing Newton's three laws of motion is essential for completing basic physics calculations. It is Newton's second law that deals directly with force. Basically, Newton concluded that force is found by multiplying the mass of an object by the acceleration of that object. Once you understand this, calculating force is nothing more than a simple multiplication problem.

Instructions

Doing Math Yourself

1. Find the mass of the object. For most basic physics problems, the mass will be listed in kilograms. For this example problem, the item is 39 kg.

2. Learn the acceleration of the item. When calculating force, both acceleration and mass will be given to you. The acceleration of the item will be in meters per second squared, or m/s^2. For this problem, the acceleration of the item is 25 m/s^2.

3. Multiply the numbers for mass and acceleration to find the force of the object. Since force equals mass times acceleration, this equation would read 39 x 25. The answer to this equation is 975. Because the mass was listed in kilograms and the acceleration in meters per second squared, the unit of force would be newton, or N. Therefore, the final problem would read 39 kg x 25 m/s^ = 975 N.

Using an Online Calculator

1. Log onto the Force Equations Formulas Calculator page on the AJ Design Software website (see Resources below).

2. Enter a number for the mass of an object. Click on the drop box to the right of the number to change the unit of the mass.

3. Type in a number for the acceleration of that same object. Again, you can change the unit of acceleration by clicking the drop-down menu.

4. Click the "Calculate" tab. After a few seconds, the force of the object will automatically be calculated for you. Scroll below the page to see different answers listed for different units.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Force Equations Formulas Calculator