From Citizendium - Reading time: 1 min
A dyne (dyn) is the unit of force in the centimeter-gram-second (cgs) system. It is the force which gives an acceleration of 1 cm/s2 to a body of 1 g (=10−3 kg) mass. In SI units, one dyne = 10−5 N (newton), because
The name was first proposed in 1873 by the British Association for the Advancement of Science.