— What exactly does kilograms times metres per second squared mean?

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I understand that F=ma, mass is in kilograms and acceleration is metres per second squared so Newtons are just kilograms metres per second squared, but what does that mean? I can’t seem to comprehend it/really understand it intuitively. Why are we adding kilograms, metres per second squared times (or vice-versa)? I understand stuff with division, like density, because it makes sense, like with density, you’re dividing the mass over the volume occupied to see how many kilograms you have per cubic metre of the substance in question, so kg/m^3 , but I seem to have trouble understanding the multiplied quantities, like Newtons.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Just think of using a hammer. It takes a certain amount of force to drive the nail. How many swings it takes will depend on 2 things: the weight of the hammer (kilograms) and how fast you accelerate it (meters per second ^2).

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