when a body is moved from sea level to the top of a mountain, what changes--- the body's mass, it's weight, or both?Explain
2006-11-02 14:58:01 · 5 answers · asked by FIGUREsk8er4life 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Mass is a fundamental quality. No matter where something is, it has the same mass. Weight, on the other hand, is the force that gravity exerts on the mass. Though in standard units we measure both in pounds, technically mass is measured in pounds mass, while weight is measured in pounds force. In SI units, mass is measured in grams, and weight in newtons.
To answer your question, weight will change with distance from the earth's center. Mass will not.
2006-11-02 15:03:05 · answer #1 · answered by vlyandra 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mass is constant. You could think of the mass as a function of the number and types of atoms and molecules which in this case does not change.
The weight is simply the force of gravity upon a mass. Remember, gravity is the force pulling two masses together. Look up the law of gravitation. The force decreases with distance, so the weight decreases with distance from the earth.
2006-11-02 15:39:31 · answer #2 · answered by _ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mass is somethings atomic weight (that never changes). Say you go out into space & are weightless due to no gravity. Your weight will be nothing but your atomic weight will remain the same (as the same amount of atoms are there). Your weight on earth can vary for many reasons... If you are on a scale in a elevator that is going up, your weight will increase cuz of the added pressure on the scale. If it is going down your weight will decrease from the reduced force applied to the scale (your atomic weight, ie mass will remain the same). Scales used to messure a persons weight are really messuring force applied to the scale (gravity being one of them) they do not messure mass.
2006-11-02 15:13:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mass is the same, but since it is furhter away from the center of the earth, its weight is less.
Two ways to explain this..
Relativity: the further away from the center of a gravity well--or apart from a mass's curvature of spacetime--an object is, the less the object's weight relative to that source of gravity it will be.
Newtonian view: Go by the equation F= ((G*(m1+m2))/d^2
F = force of gravity
G = universal gravitational constant
m1 = mass of body 1
m2 = mass of body 2
d = distance between the two objects
This means the further away two objects are from each other, the weaker the gravitational atraction between them will be.
2006-11-02 15:06:54 · answer #4 · answered by quntmphys238 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its weight decreases due to being further from the center of the earth AND having centrifugal force pulling upward a bit more than at lower heights.
Mass remains invariant.
2006-11-02 15:02:43 · answer #5 · answered by Steve 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋