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How to Calculate the Force an Object Exerts on Another

Force is a basic physics formula and part of Newton's Second Law of Motion, which says, "The acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net unbalanced force and inversely proportional to the body's mass." So, when calculating what the force an object will exert on another object, you need to know your object's mass and acceleration. By multiplying mass times acceleration, you calculate the force of the object in units known as Newtons.

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the mass of your object in kilograms. You can use a scale if you do not know the mass of the object. For example, assume an object has a mass of 40 kilograms.
- 2
  Determine the acceleration of the object. Acceleration is miles per second squared. In the example, assume the object is accelerating at 0.1 miles per second squared.
- 3
  Multiply your mass by your acceleration to calculate force. In the example, 50 kg times 0.1 miles per second squared equals a force of 5 Newtons.

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