Convert Poundal to Dynes

Convert Poundal (pdl) to Dynes (dyn) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

dyn = pdl × 13825.49544

About Poundal

The poundal (pdl) is the force unit of the foot-pound-second absolute system - the force to accelerate 1 pound at 1 ft/s² - approximately 0.1383 N. Introduced in 1877 by Thomson and Tait as the FPS analogue of the CGS dyne (1 dyn = 1 g·cm/s²; 1 pdl = 1 lb·ft/s²). The poundal is distinct from pound-force: since standard gravity = 32.174 ft/s², 1 lbf = 32.174 pdl. It survives in older British engineering texts and early 20th-century thermodynamics literature, but is otherwise obsolete. 1 pdl = 0.138254954376 N = 1/32.174 lbf.

About Dynes

The dyne (dyn) is the CGS unit of force - the force to accelerate 1 g at 1 cm/s² - exactly 10⁻⁵ N. Surface tension is universally expressed in dyn/cm (= mN/m): water 72.8 dyn/cm; mercury 487 dyn/cm; ethanol 22.1 dyn/cm. Astrophysics and plasma physics papers use dyn/cm² for pressure; solar photon radiation pressure at Earth's orbit is ~4.56 × 10⁻⁵ dyn/cm². The dyne pairs naturally with other CGS units (poise, erg, gauss), which is why it persists in stellar modelling and X-ray binary spectra literature. 1 dyn = 10⁻⁵ N = 10 µN.

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