How much force is generated by Niagara Falls?

Niagara Falls is comprised of two major sections, separated by Goat Island. They are exceptionally wide, and due to this they have approximately 1,833.33 cubic metres of water passing over the edge per second.

To find out how much force this generates, we can use force = mass x acceleration

The mass of one cubic metre of water is roughly 1,000 kilograms

To find the mass: 1,000 x 1,833.33 = 1,833,333.330 kilograms

F = ma

a = 9.81 metres per second squared

Therefore, the force which this water exerts is 1,833,333.330 x 9.81 = 17,985,000 newtons every second. It must be noted that this is the force which would be experienced if all of this force could be concentrated on an infinitesimal point. It’s not the force you would experience per second if you stood under Niagara Falls, as you would only represent a tiny area of that which the water is hitting.