Why is force measured in pounds instead of Newton?

AI Thread Summary
Force is often measured in pounds in popular media, like documentaries, for audience familiarity, despite the scientific unit being the Newton. While the pound is technically a unit of force (pound-force), it is commonly confused with mass, leading to some inaccuracies in communication. The distinction between units like pound (mass) and pound-force can create confusion, especially since different systems of measurement exist, such as the Avoirdupois and Troy systems. Some argue that using "pound-force" would be more precise, but it may sound awkward in casual contexts. Overall, the use of pounds in these discussions reflects a preference for imperial units among certain audiences.
otomanb
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unit of force is Newton but...

For is measured in Newton but in National Geographic Special documentaries, we have usually heard them using unit "pound" like to determine force like
1) 500 pound bite force of dog
2) 1800 pounds bite force of hippo
Why they measure force in pounds not in Newton?
Thanks
 
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Maybe they feel their target audience is more comfortable using imperial units? or American units, whatever it's called.
 


This doesn't even seem correct, lb is a unit of mass, not force. I guess it's just them being sloppy?
 


MikeyW said:
This doesn't even seem correct, lb is a unit of mass, not force. I guess it's just them being sloppy?

Pound is a unit of force actually. The unit of mass is the 'Slug'.
 


@ MikeyW
ya lbs and kg are the units of mass, in SI(system International) but might be they are using some kind or older system of measurements
 


MikeyW said:
This doesn't even seem correct, lb is a unit of mass, not force. I guess it's just them being sloppy?
When used without any qualifier or context, the term pound denotes a unit of mass, specifically the avoirdupois pound. The abbreviation for this unit is lb. The pound-force is a unit of force. The abbreviation for this unit is lbf. Some use lbm as an abbreviation for the pound (mass) for consistency with the use of lbf for the pound-force.

Saying "500 pound bite force of dog" is perhaps a bit sloppy, but the "500 pound-force bite force of dog" sounds stilted. It is obvious from context that the pound being talked about in this sentence is the pound force.

There are multiple units of mass called the pound. A pound of gold weighs less than a pound of feathers, for example. Precious metals are weighed with Troy weight while feathers (along with most other things) are weighed with the Avoirdupois system. A troy pound is 12 troy ounces; the avoirdupois pound is 16 avoirdupois ounces.

Confused? This diagram might help. Then again, it might not.

400px-English_mass_units_graph.svg.png


Pengwuino said:
Maybe they feel their target audience is more comfortable using imperial units? or American units, whatever it's called.
United States customary systems of measurement. Imperial units are different. A US gallon is not the same as an imperial gallon, for example.

Pengwuino said:
Pound is a unit of force actually. The unit of mass is the 'Slug'.
See above. The slug is not an official unit.
 


@above
thanks you my all brothers thanks for the answers. God bless you and keep helping.
::otoman
 
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