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Usually, the relationship between mass and weight on Earth is highly proportional; objects that are a hundred times more massive than a one-liter bottle of soda almost always weigh a hundred times more—approximately 1,000 newtons, which is the weight one would expect on Earth from an object with a mass slightly greater than 100 kilograms.
The most common definition of weight found in introductory physics textbooks defines weight as the force exerted on a body by gravity. [1] [12] This is often expressed in the formula W = mg, where W is the weight, m the mass of the object, and g gravitational acceleration.
In physics, mass is not the same as weight, even though mass is often determined by measuring the object's weight using a spring scale, rather than balance scale comparing it directly with known masses. An object on the Moon would weigh less than it does on Earth because of the lower gravity, but it would still have the same mass.
Systems of measure either define mass and derive a force unit or define a base force and derive a mass unit [1] (cf. poundal, a derived unit of force in a mass-based system). A slug is defined as a mass that is accelerated by 1 ft/s 2 when a net force of one pound (lbf) is exerted on it. [2]
Matter is a general term describing any 'physical substance'. By contrast, mass is not a substance but rather an extensive property of matter and other substances or systems; various types of mass are defined within physics – including but not limited to rest mass, inertial mass, relativistic mass, and mass–energy.
Although the size of an object may be reflected in its mass or its weight, each of these is a different concept. In scientific contexts, mass refers loosely to the amount of "matter" in an object (though "matter" may be difficult to define), whereas weight refers to the force experienced by an object due to gravity. [6]
Inertia – Fundamental principle of classical physics; Kibble balance – Electromechanical weight measuring instrument; Kilogram-force – Weight on earth of a one-kilogram mass; Mass versus weight – Distinction between mass and weight; Metric system – Decimal-based systems of measurement with 7 base units defined by physical constants
In physics, apparent weight is a property of objects that corresponds to how heavy an object appears to be. The apparent weight of an object will differ from the ordinary weight of an object whenever the force of gravity acting on the object is not balanced by an equal but opposite contact force. By definition, the weight of an object is equal ...