I found a measurement in dynes in an old physics paper. How do I convert to SI?

Divide dynes by 100,000 to get newtons. Example: 500,000 dyn ÷ 100,000 = 5 N. The CGS system is outdated; modern physics uses SI exclusively.

Why are dynes still used in seismology?

Seismic moment (earthquake energy) is historically measured in dyne·cm. While SI units (newton·meter) are preferred, legacy magnitude scales and databases still reference dyne·cm. Conversions are necessary when comparing old and new seismic data.

What's the relationship between dynes and grams-force?

1 gram-force (gf) ≈ 980.665 dynes. They're both CGS units. 1 gf is the weight of 1 gram under Earth's gravity. Modern practice uses SI (newtons and kilograms) exclusively.

My acoustic measurement says 100 dyne/cm². What does that mean?

100 dyne/cm² = 0.01 N/m² = 0.01 Pa (pascal). Acoustics historically used CGS units; modern standards use SI pascals. Your sound pressure level is 0.01 Pa. For large forces in SI, see [newtons to kilonewtons]({/force/newtons-to-kn/}).

Dyne to Newton Converter

Enter a value to instantly convert between force units.

From

Precision4 dp

1 Dyne = 0 Newton

Key Formulas

Newton → Pound-Force

lbf = N × 0.224809

Pound-Force → Newton

N = lbf × 4.44822

Kilogram-Force → Newton

N = kgf × 9.80665

Newton → Kilogram-Force

kgf = N × 0.101972

Formula

N = dyn × 1.000000e-5

The dyne is an outdated CGS (centimeter-gram-second) unit for force, largely replaced by the SI newton. However, you'll still encounter dynes in older scientific literature, historical physics data, and some specialized fields like seismology and acoustics. One dyne is the force needed to accelerate 1 gram at 1 cm/s². The newton, by contrast, accelerates 1 kilogram at 1 m/s². Understanding both units is essential when working with legacy research papers or cross-referencing CGS and SI measurements.

Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

1 dyne force. An incredibly tiny force—about the weight of a grain of sand on Earth's surface.

1 dyn = 0.00001 N

1,000 dynes = 0.01 N. Still a minuscule force, like the weight of 1 milligram on a surface.

1000 dyn = 0.01 N

100,000 dynes = 1 N. One newton—the force of about 100 grams pushing downward.

100000 dyn = 1 N

Earth's gravitational force on 1 kilogram. The standard gravity constant expressed in dynes (980,665 dyn = 9.81 N).

980665 dyn = 9.81 N

newtons to lbf lbf to newtons kgf to newtons newtons to kgf kn to newtons newtons to kn

Dyne to Newton Converter

Key Formulas

Formula

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

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