Force
In physics, a force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a push or a pull. A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. It is measured in the SI unit of newtons and represented by the symbol F.
Units of measurement in France
During the early part of the twentieth century, the French introduced their own units of power - the "poncelet", which was defined as being the power required to raise a mass of 100 kg against standard gravity with a velocity of 1 m/s giving a value of 980.665 W. However, many other European countries defined their units of power (the "Pferdestärke" in Germany, the "paardekracht" in the Netherlands and the "cavallo vapore" in Italy) using 75 kg rather than 100 kg, which gave a value of 735.49875 W (about 0.985 HP). Eventually, the "poncelet" was replaced with the "cheval vapeur", which was identical to equivalent units of measure in neighbouring countries. In 1977, these units, along with the "stere" and the "livre" (and amongst others, the German "pfund") were proscribed by EEC Directive 71/354/EEC