Mass from Force and Acceleration

The Mass from Force and Acceleration formula, m = F/a, computes the mass (m) based on the acceleration (a) and Force (F). 

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose your preferred units and enter the following:

• (F) Total force acting on the object.
• (a) Acceleration of the object.

Mass (m): The calculator returns the acceleration (m) in kilograms.  However, this can be automatically converted to other mass units via the pull-down menu.

The Math / Science

The formula for mass based on force and acceleration is:
          m = F / a
where:

• m is the mass
• a is the constant acceleration
• F is the force

Newton's second law formula (F = m•a) shows the relationship between mass, acceleration and force.  The three forms of the equation are as follows:

• F = m•a.  This is Newton's second law formula solved for force.
• m = F / a.  This is Newton's second law formula solved for mass.
• a = F / m.  This is Newton's second law formulasolved for acceleration.

References

• Light and Matter(Dr. Benjamin Crowell) Chapter 4.3 Newton's Second Law
• Light and Matter(Dr. Benjamin Crowell) Chapter 4.5 Inertial and noninertial frames of reference
• Light and Matter(Dr. Benjamin Crowell) Chapter 8.4 Calculus with vectors