In Physics, measuring quantities accurately is vital. Depending on the system of measurement you are using, the units will change. While the SI (System International) unit of force is widely known, the CGS system uses a different unit.
The dyne is a very small unit of force. For perspective, the weight of a common mosquito pressing down on your skin is roughly 1 dyne.
Surface tension of liquids in physics is traditionally measured in dynes per centimeter ($dyn/cm$).
The CGS system was widely used in science before the SI system was officially adopted globally.
CGS stands for Centimeter-Gram-Second. In this system:
The CGS unit of force is the Dyne (dyn).
According to Newton's Second Law of Motion ($Force = mass \times acceleration$): 1 Dyne is defined as the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of 1 gram at a rate of 1 centimeter per second squared ($1 g \cdot cm/s^2$).
The SI unit of force is the Newton (N). 1 Newton is the force needed to accelerate 1 kilogram at $1 m/s^2$.
Therefore, multiplying them together: 1 Newton (N) = $10^5$ Dynes (100,000 dynes).
The CGS unit of work is the 'Erg'. One erg is equal to the work done by a force of one dyne moving an object one centimeter (1 erg = 10^-7 Joules).
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