what's the difference between mass and weight?

Answer 1

(j)

The short answer is that there is often no difference. A common meaning of "weight" is "mass."

This is the way the question is often phrased. But it is misleading.

The original meaning of "weight," still in general use today, is equivalent to mass. But a definition common in physics uses "weight" for a particular kind of force, and there are other definitions as well (when archers talk of the "weight" of their bows, they're talking about a force that results not from gravity, but from muscle power). Accepting the fact that "weigh" and "weight" are ambiguous makes these concepts easier to understand.

Even when weight is limited to its definition as a force, it is normally limited to a particular kind of force due to the attraction of gravity. Thus, depending on the definition used, weight is a concept either too broad or too narrow to be contraposed with mass in this way. Call the other quantity force; it works much better that way.

Answer 2

Mass of a body is the quantity of matter in it.
Weight of a body is the pull of another body on it. For example, weight of an object on earth is the pull which the earth exerts on the body. When the same object is taken to another planet, the object will experience another pull which will be its weight.
Therefore mass is always constant and can not be zero while weight keeps on changing and can be zero in space where there is no pull.

Answer 3

Mass is a function of matter.
Weight is a function of gravity.

If an object has a MASS of one kilogram on earth, it will still have a MASS of one kilogram in outer space.
If an object has a WEIGHT of one pound on earth, however, it will have NO WEIGHT (or very very little weight) in outer space.

So while a bowling ball may float around in space (having no weight) it will still cause a mess of damage if you hurl it at the computers (since it still has mass and therefore can store inertial energy).

I hop this makes sense.

Answer 4

There is no difference between mass and weight. This question is the same as: what weighs more a pound of cotton or a pound of steel?

Answer 5

mass determines how much matter is in a substance, while weight is how much gravity pulls on a substance. That's why your mass will stay the same if you were on a different planet, but you weight would change.

Answer 6

MASS : A unified body of matter with no specific shape.
EXAMPLE : CLAY.

WEIGHT :A measure of the heaviness of an object.

The force with which a body is attracted to Earth or another celestial body, equal to the product of the object's mass and the acceleration of gravity.

Answer 7

weight = unit mass x 9.82m/s^2 (gravitational acceleration)

mass is how heavy the object is without the gravitational pull of the earth. for ex real mass is measured in vacuum.

weight is dependent on the object mass multiplied by the gravitational force acting. on earth it is equiv to 32.2ft/s^2 or 9.82m/s^2

Answer 8

A big difference!!Weight is a Force which consists of mass and gravitational constant( m x g).As you are sitting on your chair now you are actually exerting your mass in presence of the gravitational constant.They say he/she has a mass of 55kg,65kg,75kg,85kg....etc

Answer 9

weight is with respect to gravity and mass means anything which has matter with respect to weight.
Example;Your weight is 50 kilos on earth then u travel to moon and its 30 kilos but still you are made up of same matter.therefore mass remains same

Answer 10

Your mass will not change but your weight will when different gravitational force is applied.