Mass versus Weight

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In common usage, the mass of an object is often referred to as its weight, though these are in fact
different concepts and quantities. In scientific contexts, mass refers loosely to the amount of "matter"
in an object (though "matter" may be difficult to define), whereas weight refers to the force exerted
on an object by gravity.[1] In other words, an object with a mass of 1.0 kilogram will weigh
approximately 9.81 newtons on the surface of the Earth (its mass multiplied by the gravitational field
strength), since the newton is a unit of force, while the kilogram is a unit of mass. The object's weight
will be less on Mars (where gravity is weaker), more on Saturn, and negligible in space when far
from any significant source of gravity, but it will always have the same mass.

Objects on the surface of the Earth have weight, although sometimes this weight is difficult to
measure. An example is a small object floating in water, which does not appear to have weight since
it is buoyed by the water; but it is found to have its usual weight when it is added to water in a
container which is entirely supported by and weighed on a scale. Thus, the "weightless object"
floating in water actually transfers its weight to the bottom of the container (where the pressure
increases). Similarly, a balloon has mass but may appear to have no weight or
even negative weight, due to buoyancy in air. However the weight of the balloon and the gas inside it
has merely been transferred to a large area of the Earth's surface, making the weight difficult to
measure. The weight of a flying airplane is similarly distributed to the ground, but does not
disappear. If the airplane is in level flight, the same weight-force is distributed to the surface of the
Earth as when the plane was on the runway, but spread over a larger area.

A better scientific definition of mass is its description as being composed of inertia, which is the
resistance of an object being accelerated when acted on by an external force. Gravitational "weight"
is the force created when a mass is acted upon by a gravitational field and the object is not allowed
to free-fall, but is supported or retarded by a mechanical force, such as the surface of a planet. Such
a force constitutes weight.[2] This force can be added to by any other kind of force.

While the weight of an object varies in proportion to the strength of the gravitational field, its mass is
constant (ignoring relativistic effects) as long as no energy or matter is added to the object.[3] For
example, although a satellite in orbit (essentially a free-fall) is "weightless," it still retains its mass
and inertia. Accordingly, even in orbit, an astronaut trying to accelerate the satellite in any direction
will still be required to exert force, and will need to exert ten times as much force to accelerate a
10-ton satellite at the same rate as one with a mass of only 1 ton.

On Earth, a swing seat can demonstrate this relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. If
one were to stand behind a large adult sitting stationary on a swing and give him a strong push, the
adult would temporarily accelerate to a quite low speed, and then swing only a short distance before
beginning to swing in the opposite direction. Applying the same impetus to a small child would
produce a much greater speed
Mass versus weight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The chains on the swing hold all the child's weight. If someone were to stand behind her at the bottom of the
swing and try to stop her, they would be acting against her inertia, which comes from mass, not weight.

In the physical sciences, mass and weight are different. The mass of an object is a measure of the
amount of matter in the object. Weight is a measure of the force on the object caused by
a gravitational field. In other words, weight is how hard gravity pulls on an object. This means the
mass of an object will remain at wherever it is on the earth's surface, but if it is moved from
the equator to the North Pole, its weight will grow by 0.5% because of the increase in the earth's
gravitational field.
Mass is measured in kilograms or pounds. A one-liter volume of water has a mass of one kilogram.
Weight is measured in newtons, the standard unit for force. A one-kilogram mass placed on a bench
presses down on the bench with almost ten newtons of force.

Overview[change | change source]

The weight of something is the value measured at the Earth's surface. Unfortunately the common
terms used to describe the weight of an object are units of mass such as kilograms or pounds. For
almost all of human history weight has been measured on the surface of the Earth. Here, the weight
is proportional to the mass. Objects which have the same mass have the same weight. An object
with the twice the mass of another will also have twice the weight. As a consequence it is common
practice to use the two words, mass and weight, as if they mean the same thing, and to use
kilograms or pounds as the units for both mass and weight. Using the same terms to describe and
measure the two different properties has led to confusion between these two properties, mass and
weight. Mass and weight are not the same thing.
Generally, mass refers to how "heavy" something is. However, mass is really an inertial property;
that is, the tendency of an object to remain at constant velocity unless acted upon by an
outside force. According to Newton's second law of motion, as expressed in the formula an object
with a mass, m, of one kilogram will accelerate, a, at one meter per second per second (about one-
tenth the acceleration due to Earth's gravity) when acted upon by a force, F, of one newton.