1 N is the force of Earth's gravity on an apple with a mass of about 102 g ( kg).
On Earth's surface, a mass of 1 kg exerts a force of approximately 9.81 N (or 1 kgf) on its support. The approximation of 1 kg corresponding to 10 N is sometimes used as a rule of thumb in everyday life and in engineering (except where strict accuracy is required).
The force of Earth's gravity on a human being with a mass of 70 kg is approximately 686 N.
The scalar product of force and distance (N×m)— a force of 1 N carried out over a distance of 1 m— is one joule, the basic unit of energy in the SI.
Because a newton is a relatively small amount of force, it is common to see forces expressed in kilonewtons or kN, where 1 kN = 1000 N.