Poundal (Noun)
Meaning
A unit of force equal to the force that imparts an acceleration of 1 foot/sec/sec to a mass of 1 pound; equal to 0.1382 newtons.
Classification
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure.
Examples
- The poundal is an obsolete unit of force used primarily in engineering applications in the United States.
- To determine the total force applied, we converted the pounds of thrust into poundals.
- This measurement technique used a sensor capable of measuring forces up to 10 poundals with a high degree of accuracy.
- Poundals can be used in calculating force but this requires additional information on mass and acceleration.
- Because it was originally used for gravitational forces on pounds, engineers decided the unit was equal to 0.1382 newtons in an absolute poundal system and calculated.