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The slug is a derived unit of mass in a weight-based system of measures, most notably within the British Imperial measurement system and the United States customary measures system. Systems of measure either define mass and derive a force unit or define a base force and derive a mass unit [ 1 ] (cf. poundal , a derived unit of force in a mass ...
1 slug = 1 lbf⋅s 2 /ft ≈ 14.59390 kg; Force 1 poundal = force to accelerate 1 pound mass 1 foot/second/second ≈ 0.138 newtons. 1 kip = 1000 lbf ≈ 4.44822 kN; Energy 1 foot-pound ≈ 1.356 J; 1 British thermal unit (Btu) ≈ 1.055 kJ (1,054–1,060 J, depending on which of several definitions of BTU is used)
Units for other physical quantities are derived from this set as needed. In English Engineering Units, the pound-mass and the pound-force are distinct base units, and Newton's Second Law of Motion takes the form = where is the acceleration in ft/s 2 and g c = 32.174 lb·ft/(lbf·s 2).
In engineering and physics, g c is a unit conversion factor used to convert mass to force or vice versa. [1] It is defined as = In unit systems where force is a derived unit, like in SI units, g c is equal to 1.
The pound-force is equal to the gravitational force exerted on a mass of one avoirdupois pound on the surface of Earth.Since the 18th century, the unit has been used in low-precision measurements, for which small changes in Earth's gravity (which varies from equator to pole by up to half a percent) can safely be neglected.
Expressions derived using poundals for force and lb for mass (or lbf for force and slugs for mass) have the advantage of not being tied to conditions on the surface of the earth. Specifically, computing F = ma on the moon or in deep space as poundals, lb⋅ft/s 2 or lbf = slug⋅ft/s 2 , avoids the constant tied to acceleration of gravity on earth.
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Conversions between units in the metric system are defined by their prefixes (for example, 1 kilogram = 1000 grams, 1 milligram = 0.001 grams) and are thus not listed in this article. Exceptions are made if the unit is commonly known by another name (for example, 1 micron = 10 −6 metre).