Difference between Mass and Weight with related questions

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Mass

A mass of a body is the quantity of matter contained in that body. It is a scalar quantity I.e. it has magnitude but no direction. The unit of mass is kilogramme (kg).

Weight

This is a measure of the force of gravity of the earth on a body. It is a gravitational pull of the earth on any body towards its centre. It is a vector quantity, I.e. it has magnitude as well as direction. The unit of weight is Newton (N).

Relationship between mass and Weight

Weight of a body = Force

Force = mass of body x acceleration due to gravity

I.e. W = F =  mg

m = W/g

For example: 

Find the weight of a ball if the mass of the ball is 10kg and the acceleration to gravity is 10m/s2.

Solution

W = mg

W = 10 kg x 10 m/s2

W = 100N

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Difference between mass and Weight

1)  Mass is the quantity of matter contained in a body While weight is the measurement of the force of gravity on a body.

2) Mass is a scalar quantity while weight is a vector quantity.

3) The S.I. unit of mass is kilogramme while the S.I. unit of weight is Newton.

4) Mass of the body is constant throughout the universe, while weight varies from place to place in the universe.

5) The instruments  used to measure mass can be beam balance, lever balance or chemical balance, while the instrument used to measure weight is spring balance.

Mass and weight - on moon

Weight on Earth: 100kg x 9.8m/s² = 980N.

Weight on Moon: 100kg x 1.622 m/s² = 162.2N.

Related Questions

1)  The mass of a rock on the Earth is 2.0 kg. What is the mass of the rock on the Moon?

A) 1.7

B) 2.0

C) 3.5

D) 20.0

2) Why is weight not equal everywhere?

A) Because of altitude.

B) Because of the varying mass other planets when compared with earth.

C) Because of force of gravity

D) All of the above

E) None of the above

3) An astronaut of mass 40 kg jumped out of the rocket after it had landed on Jupiter.  The astronaut took 0.40 s to drop for 2.0 m. What was the weight of the astronaut on Jupiter?

A) 500

B) 1000

C) 800

D) 2000

4) A student's weight on Earth is 100 pounds. If this student went to the Moon,what  would he weigh?

A) more

B) less

C) the same

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