In high school, students often encounter with the terms "weight" and "mass." Many believe these terms mean the same thing, but they actually have distinct difference between weight and mass. So, what exact difference between mass and weight, and how are they connected, we will discuss them below.
Alright! Let's break it down in a simple way:
Imagine you have two things: a toy car and a big rock.
Now, "mass" is like saying how much stuff is inside each thing. So, the toy car has less stuff inside, so it has less mass. But the big rock has more stuff inside, so it has more mass. Mass is basically how heavy something is because of all the stuff inside it.
Now, "weight" is a bit different. It's about how hard gravity pulls on something. When you're on Earth, gravity pulls everything towards the ground. So, if you hold the toy car and the big rock, you'll feel that the big rock pulls harder because it's heavier.
So, here's the difference:
- Mass is about how much stuff is inside something.
- Weight is about how hard gravity pulls on something because of its mass.
Mass stays the same no matter where you are. Whether you're on Earth, the Moon, or even in space, the toy car and the big rock still have the same amount of stuff inside.
Weight changes depending on where you are. The toy car would feel lighter on the Moon because the Moon has less gravity. But the big rock would still feel heavy because it has more mass, even though it's lighter on the Moon compared to Earth.
So, mass is what's inside, and weight is how heavy something feels because of gravity. They're related, but they're not exactly the same!
What is the difference between mass and weight:
Mass is how much "stuff" is in an object. Imagine it like the amount of matter inside something. If something has more mass, it means it's made of more stuff.
Weight is how strongly something is pulled down toward the Earth because of gravity. It's like the heaviness of an object. Things with more weight feel heavier.
| Mass | Weight |
|---|---|
| Mass is simply the measure of the amount of matter in a body. | Weight is the measure of the amount of force acting on a mass due to acceleration due to gravity. |
| Mass is denoted by “M”. | Weight is denoted by “W”. |
| Mass is calculated by formula Mass = volume × density | Weight is calculated by formula Weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity |
| Mass only has magnitude and so, it is a scalar quantity. | Weight has both magnitude and direction (towards the centre of gravity) and so, it is a vector quantity. |
| Mass does not depend upon gravity and is constant everywhere. | Weight is dependent on gravity and so, it varies from place to place. |
| The SI unit of mass is Kilogram (Kg). | The SI unit of weight is Newton (N). |
| Mass can be easily measured using any ordinary balance like beam balance, lever balance, pan balance, etc. | Weight can be measured by a spring balance or by using its formula. |
| It can never be zero | It can be zero when no gravity is acting on it. |
| It is not changed by changing the position.; | It is changed by changing the position. |
Difference Between Mass and Weight in Tabular Form:
Mass is about how much matter is in something, while weight is about how much gravity pulls on it. Mass stays the same wherever you are, but weight can change depending on the strength of gravity.
Mass and weight are related because weight depends on mass. The more mass something has, the more it will weigh because gravity pulls on it more. But even if you go to a place where gravity is weaker, like the moon, your mass stays the same, but you'll weigh less because there's less gravity pulling on you. Here below we have given the difference between mass and weight in tabular form.
| Aspect | Mass | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mass is the amount of matter in an object. | Weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. |
| SI Unit | Kilogram (kg) | Newton (N) |
| Symbol | m | W |
| Measure | Remains constant regardless of location. | Varies depending on the gravitational field strength. |
| Measurement Device | Mass balance, scale | Spring scale, balance |
| Calculation | Direct measurement | Mass × gravitational acceleration (weight = mass × gravity) |
| Influence of Gravity | Mass is independent of gravity. | Weight depends on the gravitational field strength. |
| Inertia | Mass represents an object's resistance to acceleration. | Weight depends on the mass and gravitational force acting on the object. |
| Example | An object with a mass of 5 kg will have the same mass on Earth, the Moon, or in outer space. | An object with a mass of 5 kg will weigh differently on Earth, the Moon, or in outer space due to differences in gravity. |
FAQs on the Difference between mass and weight
1. Difference between mass and weight Class 9
Answer: Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. Mass remains constant regardless of location, while weight varies depending on the strength of gravity.
2. Difference between mass and weight in Physics
Answer: Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, usually measured in kilograms (kg). Weight, on the other hand, is the force exerted on an object due to gravity and is measured in newtons (N).
3. Write 5 differences between mass and weight:
Answer:
- Mass measures the amount of matter in an object, whereas weight measures the force of gravity acting on an object.
- Mass is a scalar quantity and does not have direction, while weight is a vector quantity and points towards the center of the Earth.
- Mass remains constant regardless of location, while weight can vary depending on the strength of gravity.
- Mass is typically measured in kilograms (kg), while weight is measured in newtons (N) or pounds (lbs).
- Mass can be directly measured using a balance or scale, while weight is often measured using a spring scale or by calculating it using the formula: weight = mass × gravity.
4. Difference between mass and weight with examples:
Answer: An example of mass would be comparing a small rock and a large boulder. Even though the boulder has more mass because it's made of more matter, both the rock and the boulder have the same weight when they're on Earth because they experience the same gravity. However, if you were to take them to the moon where gravity is weaker, they would weigh less but their mass would remain the same.
5. How are mass and weight related?
Answer: Mass and weight are related because weight depends on mass. Weight is calculated by multiplying an object's mass by the acceleration due to gravity. So, if an object has more mass, it will weigh more because gravity pulls on it with more force.
6. Difference between mass and density:
Answer: Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while density is the amount of mass per unit volume. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg), while density is measured in kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³).
7. Write 10 differences between mass and weight:
Answer:
- Mass measures the amount of matter in an object, while weight measures the force of gravity acting on it.
- Mass is constant, while weight can change depending on gravity.
- Mass is measured in kilograms, while weight is measured in newtons or pounds.
- Mass is a scalar quantity, whereas weight is a vector quantity.
- Mass is typically measured using a balance or scale, while weight is often measured using a spring scale or calculated using formulas.
- Mass is an intrinsic property of an object, while weight depends on external factors like gravity.
- Mass does not have direction, while weight points towards the center of the Earth.
- Mass remains the same regardless of location, while weight can vary.
- Mass is used to calculate weight, but weight does not calculate mass.
- Mass is usually represented by "m," while weight is represented by "w" or "Fw."
