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Glite Dictionary
poundal

poundal

9.9
A unit of force that makes a one-pound object gain one foot per second of speed each second
  • noun
  • /ˈpaʊndəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : poundal
  • A force of 10 poundals acts on the block, causing it to accelerate across the floor.

Examples

  • The poundal is now largely replaced by the newton in most scientific applications.

  • One poundal equals approximately 0.1382 newtons.

  • In older physics texts, you may encounter the poundal as a unit of force.

  • We measured the force in poundals for our experiment.

  • A force of 10 poundals acts on the block, causing it to accelerate across the floor.

  • In older physics texts, you may encounter the poundal as a unit of force.

  • We measured the force in poundals for our experiment.

Synonyms

pdl
vspoundal
  • Specialized
9.9

A measure of force in the foot-pound-second system that makes a one-pound object speed up by one foot each second

has identical meaning but uses the full term instead of the abbreviation

Compounds

foot-poundal
  • Archaic
9.9

A unit for measuring work when a force moves something one foot

Surface Forms

poundal singular
poundals plural

Morphology

poundal = pound (opaque) = pound + al

The form contains pound plus a nominal ending, but the specialized meaning as a unit of force is not predictable for an average learner from those parts alone.

Etymology

Poundal comes from the common English word pound, the unit of mass, plus the ending -al, which you can think of as 'related to'. So a poundal is literally a force 'related to' a pound — the force that makes a one‑pound mass gain one foot per second of speed every second.