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.
In: 6
Meters per second squared is meters per second per second.
So if acceleration is (like the gravitational constant) 9.8 meters per second squared, in one second an object would (ignoring other details like air resistance) be falling at 9.8 meters per second, and and two seconds it would be falling at 19.6 meters per second, and at 3 second it would be falling at 29.4 meters per second…
It is going 9.8 meters per second faster, per second.
Does that make sense?
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Personally I never found it useful to think of force in terms of kilograms per meter per second squared. Almost all units can be broken down/described in terms of other units, and until you’re at the highest levels of science it’s usually not useful to think of them this was.
Jist remember that f=ma, and that a force being exerted on a body results in a change in ACCELERATION, not just a change in velocity. The big takeaway is the relationship between acceleration and force, focusing on the units can just complicate things
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