![]() Weight is measured using a spring balance. Mass may be measured using an ordinary balance. The direction is toward the center of the Earth or other gravity well. ![]() Weight is a vector quantity. It has magnitude and direction. Mass does not change according to location. Weight can be zero if no gravity acts upon an object, as in space. Weight increases or decreases with higher or lower gravity. The mass of an object is the same everywhere. You measure weight using a spring balance. Because weight is a force, it is a vector quantity. In the absence of gravity, weight can be zero. Weight depends on the effect of gravity, so it can change depending on where it’s measured. You measure mass with an ordinary balance on Earth or an inertial balance in space. It is a scalar value, which means it has magnitude, but no direction associated with it. It doesn’t change depending on where you measure it. There are several differences between mass and weight. Your mass on the Moon remains the same, but your weight is different because the acceleration due to gravity is different there. But, if you compare weight on Earth to a different place, like the Moon, you get different values. People often use the words “mass” and “weight” interchangeably because gravity is pretty much constant on Earth, so there isn’t a difference between their values. Here, W is weight, mass is mass, and g is gravity The relationship between mass and weight is a simple equation: In other words, gravity causes a mass to have weight. The difference between mass and weight is the mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is a measure of the effect of gravity on that mass. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is a measure of the force of gravity on that object. This entry was posted on Augby Anne Helmenstine (updated on January 9, 2023)
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