Explain the differences between mass and weight

Answer 1

Mass and weight are two distinct concepts in physics, although they are often used interchangeably in everyday language. Here are the key differences between mass and weight:

Definition:
- Mass: Mass refers to the amount of matter contained in an object. It is an intrinsic property and remains the same regardless of the object's location.
- Weight: Weight refers to the force exerted on an object due to gravity. It depends on the mass of the object as well as the strength of the gravitational field acting upon it.

Measurement:
- Mass: Mass is typically measured using a balance or a scale. The units of mass are kilograms (kg) in the International System of Units (SI).
- Weight: Weight is measured using a device called a spring scale or a digital scale with a gravitational force conversion. It is expressed in newtons (N) in SI units.

Dependence:
- Mass: Mass is independent of the object's location and does not change under different gravitational fields.
- Weight: Weight depends on the strength of the gravitational field. Since gravity varies based on location, an object's weight will change in different gravitational environments (for example, weight is less on the Moon compared to Earth due to the Moon's weaker gravitational pull).

Variation:
- Mass: The mass of an object remains constant, regardless of forces acting upon it (like gravity or acceleration).
- Weight: Weight can vary depending on the surrounding gravitational forces. For example, if an object is in freefall or in a microgravity environment, its weight will be zero even though its mass is constant.

Relation:
- Mass and weight are related through Newton's second law of motion. The formula is given by W = mg, where W represents weight, m represents mass, and g represents the acceleration due to gravity. The value of g is approximately 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth.

In summary, mass is the measure of an object's amount of matter, while weight is the measure of the force exerted on an object by gravity. Mass does not change based on location, whereas weight varies with the strength of the gravitational field.