G-Force Calculator
G-force measures acceleration as a multiple of Earth's gravitational acceleration (1g = 9.81 m/s²). Standing still, you experience 1g. A roller coaster might hit 3-4g in a tight loop, fighter pilots experience up to 9g in hard turns, and a car crash can produce 50g or more in milliseconds. This calculator works for both straight-line acceleration/deceleration and circular motion.
G-force is calculated two ways depending on the situation:
Linear acceleration:
g-force = (delta-v / time) / 9.80665
A car going from 0 to 60 mph (26.8 m/s) in 3 seconds pulls about 0.91g.
Circular motion:
g-force = v² / (r x 9.80665)
A car doing 30 m/s through a 50 m radius turn pulls about 1.84g laterally.
What different g-forces feel like:
- 1g: Normal gravity, standing on Earth
- 2g: Moderate roller coaster, hard turn in a sports car
- 3-4g: Intense roller coaster, aerobatic flying
- 5-6g: Onset of tunnel vision for untrained people
- 7-9g: Fighter pilot territory, requires g-suit and training
- 10g+: Sustained exposure causes blackout; brief exposure survivable in crashes
- 0g: Weightlessness (free fall, space station orbit)