What is the relationship between gravity and weight?

Answer 1

Weight is the common name given to force of gravity. We can see this by comparing F/m = a and W/m = g. Force F applied to a mass m will give that mass an acceleratiion a. Weight W applied to that same mass m will give it an acceleration g. Thus, weight is a force because it causes mass to accelerate.

Newton's universal gravitational force relationship, F = GmM/R^2 defines where that gravitational force we call weight comes from. You step on a scale and find, gasp you weigh 150 pounds (pounds are a unit of weight). So W = 150 = mg = GmM/R^2; where m is your mass, M is Earth's mass, and R is the distance between you and the center of the Earth.

Thus g = GM/R^2 and Earth's mass M is seen as the major contributor to g ~ 9.81 m/sec^2 at Earth's surface R distance from its center. As you can see, the size of the mass of the attracting body (e.g., Earth) plays a major role in determining what g's value will be. You can also see that your mass (m) plays no role whatsoever in fixing g's value.

One way you can lose weight and still gulp down those yummy calories is to move to the Moon. Because its mass is way less than that of Earth's g on the Moon will be less than on Earth. In which case, from W = mg, if g is smaller than Earth's, your weight (W) will also be less.

But beware, the Moon's radius is way less than Earth's. So R^2 on the Moon's surface will be less than R^2 on Earth. So that relative closeness to the center of mass on the Moon will raise, not lower g compard to what it was on Earth's surface. Even so, the net effect of the decreased mass and radius turns out that g on the Moon is about 1/6 g on Earth. So your weight on the Moon will be about 1/6 those 150 pounds on Earth. Bon apetit.

Answer 2

The formula weight =mass X the pull of gravity is true.
W =mg g=about 10 in metrics
It is also important to note that the pull of gravity decreases as you get farther from the object. Gravity increases with the mass of the planet. It decreases in distance by 1/distance squared

Answer 3

Weight is the result that you get when the mass of the planet and your mass pull together by the force of gravity and there is a surface to react against and keep you from falling. The force on it is proportional to your mass and the planet's mass. If either doubles in mass, so does the force. No surface to give the equal and opposite reaction to the force from gravity and there's no weight. The gravitational force is unopposed, and you fall.

Answer 4

Gravity is a force. Weight is a measurment related between your mass and gravitational pull.

Answer 5

Weight is the measured pull of gravity on an object.

Answer 6

Their relationship is given by this equation

W=mg

where

W=weight
m=mass
g=acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2)

in other words, weight is the force with which gravity pulls an object towards the earth.

Answer 7

Weight of an object is not constant. It varies from place to place depending upon gravity. weight is the force exerted by gravity.

Answer 8

Usually gravity is the cause of the effect named weight...

Answer 9

All materials have mass. Mass in a gravity field is weight.

Answer 10

weight is mass * gravity
gravity = 32ft/s in the imperial units and 9.8m/s in the metric system
weight is the gravitional pull on the mass of an object and mass is how much matter is contained in the object
For example if you weigh 160lb then your mass is 160/32 which is 5slugs in the imperial system
The measure of weight in the metric system is usually force
force=mass * gravity
the unit for force is Newtons