Well, aren't they? So if I have a big fluffy hat and a tennis ball that have the same mass, they have the same weight, right? Now I judge one to be heavier than the other...that has to do with pressure, right? I feel more or less pressure on a certain amount of area on my hand, and I judge one to be heavier than the other, correct? Or not?
2007-10-02 18:32:40 · 8 answers · asked by Burnt Toast 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Mass and weight are correlated, but NOT the same. Weight is relative to a gravitation pull, such as measured near a planet or a Moon. That's why the Buzz Aldrin had the same mass on Earth, in space and on the moon, but his weight changed dramatically in those places. An astronaut might weigh 200 pounds on Earth, but only a sixth of that on the moon. And in space, he weighs nothing. Yet the mass never changed.
Mass is a measure of the amount of material in an object or "a body" as Sir Isaac Newton called it.
Mass creates gravity, and gravity attracts other masses.
The attraction is called weight.
Weight is related to mass, but the two things are distinct and different.
2007-10-02 18:46:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Mass and weight are different things. Basically, mass is a factor of weight. Weight (W) is equal to the mass of an object(m) multiplied by the pull of the gravity(g), (W = mg). Since you are in earth, you will never neglect the pull of the gravity. That is, if you measure how heavy or how light an object is, you get the weight. If you feel one is heavier than the other, then that must have something to do with the center of gravity. As we all know, mass is evenly distributed. If you feel that one thing is heavier, then the mass must have been concentrated in the particular area that is in contact with your hand. It has also something to do with the surface area, I believe.
2007-10-02 18:45:03 · answer #2 · answered by rnygelle87 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mass and weight are two different things.....mass is just a property of the material where as weight is a force. mathematically you cannot substitute the two. when solving physics problem you need to be careful whether you are dealing with mass or weight b/c teh equations will not work out correctly if you use the wrong one. the word heavier here is a bad choice of words b/c it corresponds to weight...so no, you would not judge one to be heavier than the other....one might be more dense, which means there is more mass per area, which would cause more pressure on your hand like you are saying but heavier is not the right word...
2007-10-02 18:56:04 · answer #3 · answered by dhh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Technically no but practically yes. No because mass is an intrinsic property of matter measured in kg and weight is a force measured by mass time the acceleration due to gravity in this case. Yes (from a practical and not technical view point) because the ratio mass to weight is the same for all objects on Earth to a high degree of accuracy. g does vary slightly over the surface of the Earth, and also varies as a function of height, so there will be slight deviations in weight and no deviations in mass.
2007-10-02 18:37:55 · answer #4 · answered by BJ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ABSOLUTELY NOT! As you travel about our little blue planet your weight will change due to the fact that gravity is less/more at different distances from the center of the Earth. Plus gravity can be different at the same altitude but a different geographic position due to vagaries in the earth's structure. But no matter where you go, your mass does not change. Mass is independent of gravity. Weight is the effect of gravity on mass.
2007-10-02 19:14:55 · answer #5 · answered by wry humor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they are not. Weight is defined by mass, mass is not defined by weight. Weight is massxgravity. Mass is a fundamental unit of measure. Weight is not. You can say that mass measures the amount of matter an object has while, weight measures the effects of mass under gravity.
2007-10-02 18:37:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mass multiplied by Gravity is Weight. In space we have mass but weightless.
On moon we weigh less ie lighter.
2007-10-02 18:35:39 · answer #7 · answered by J.SWAMY I ఇ జ స్వామి 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Welllll,,,a ton of air has the same mass as a ton of lead, right?
However, the VOLUME is radically different- the lead is far denser than the gasious air, correct?
2007-10-02 19:22:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋