Calculator
What the Dyne Converter does
Dyne Converter: 1 dyn = 0.00001 N, so multiply a dyne value by 0.00001 to get newton, or divide to go back. Example: 1 dyn = 0.00001 N.
With Value, From and To entered, the Dyne Converter works out Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion. Values update as you type, so comparing options is a matter of editing one field.
Typical users are engineers checking a datasheet. Converting once from the original figure beats chaining approximations.
Because it is all local, the tool is as fast as your device and as private as your own notes.
Field definitions, the method, and a worked example from the default values are all set out further down the page.
What do the Dyne Converter fields mean?
The Dyne Converter uses 3 inputs. Nothing is blank on load, so you can see the shape of the answer before supplying your own figures.
| Field | What to enter | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Value | required | 1 |
| From | choose from Dyne (dyn), Newton (N), Kilonewton (kN), Kilogram-force (kgf), Pound-force (lbf) or Ounce-force (ozf) | Dyne (dyn) |
| To | choose from Dyne (dyn), Newton (N), Kilonewton (kN), Kilogram-force (kgf), Pound-force (lbf) or Ounce-force (ozf) | Newton (N) |
How does the Dyne Converter work?
Both units are converted through force's base unit (N), so any of the 7 units in the dropdowns can be paired in either direction without loss of accuracy.
Exact definitions are preferred throughout: the metre, the inch and the pound all have them. Only where a unit depends on a measured constant is an accepted published value substituted.
Worked example
These are the values the Dyne Converter loads by default, and the result it produces from them. These are the exact values loaded when the page opens, and the answer they produce.
| Value | 1 |
|---|---|
| From | Dyne (dyn) |
| To | Newton (N) |
| Result | 0.00001 N |
|---|---|
| How it was calculated | 1 dyn = 0.00001 N, so 1 × 0.00001 = 0.00001 N |
| Reverse conversion | 100000 dyn (if you meant 1 N) |
The dyne
The dyne is the CGS (centimetre-gram-second) unit of force, defined as the force needed to accelerate 1 gram at 1 centimetre per second squared: a much smaller unit than the newton, with 1 newton equal to exactly 100,000 dynes.
Worth knowing
- The dyne survives mainly in older physics and chemistry literature and in a few specialised fields (surface tension is still sometimes quoted in dynes per centimetre) that predate the widespread adoption of SI units.
- Because the CGS system uses grams and centimetres rather than kilograms and metres as its base units, its force unit works out to a much smaller magnitude than the newton, useful historically for measuring genuinely tiny forces at laboratory scale.
- Modern physics and engineering has almost entirely standardised on the newton, so the dyne conversion is mostly needed today for reading or comparing against older scientific papers and reference tables.
Definitions: BIPM SI Brochure · NIST reference on units
How to use it
- Type Value.
- Pick a value for From: the options are Dyne (dyn), Newton (N), Kilonewton (kN), Kilogram-force (kgf), Pound-force (lbf) or Ounce-force (ozf).
- Pick a value for To: the options are Dyne (dyn), Newton (N), Kilonewton (kN), Kilogram-force (kgf), Pound-force (lbf) or Ounce-force (ozf).
- The answer follows your cursor, in effect. Change a field and read the new figure.
- Look at Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion in the output panel.
- Print gives a tidy version without the navigation, which is handy for attaching to a file.
What this tool does not do
- Conversion factors use SI definitions; some industries use their own rounded factors.
- Repeated conversions compound rounding, so convert once from the original value where possible.
- Edge cases at the very limits of the accepted range are handled, but rarely worth relying on.
- Garbage in, garbage out: confirm each figure means what you think it does before trusting the result.
Frequently asked questions
The form asks for Value, From and To. Nothing starts empty, so nothing is mandatory before you see a result.
With the values loaded when the page opens, result comes out as 0.00001 N. Overwrite any of the starting values and the result follows.
No. Disconnect from the internet and it still works; that is the simplest proof there is no server call.
No payment and no login. Advertising covers the running costs.
As accurate as the inputs allow. The arithmetic itself introduces no error beyond display rounding.