How is mass different from weight?

658 views

Somebody said they are different because of gravity.

In: 33

31 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

To “complicate” things a little…. we can measure mass, most of the time, in two ways: via the gravitational pull, or via the inertia.

If we apply a given specific force over an object (discounting all other forces) the more mass the object has, the less t will accelerate. So, by seeing how the object moves we can calculate its mass, if we know the forces in place. This is, for example, the mass that we calculate when we hang the object from a string and make it oscilate like a pendulum.

That’s the inertial mass.

Then, there is the gravitational mass, which is the one you will get, for example, by using a balance.

Both happen to have the same value. And you may use any of those methods in any place of the surface of the earth, and get “errors” in calculating the mass of an object, because the force of gravity is not the same in every place over the Earth. It can vary depending on the local density of the Earth, altitude, or how far you are from the equator line.

But that part of the error is just because of using a wrong value of the gravity acceleration.

So, you can go with a pendulum, with an object whose mass you already know, and go around and measure the gravitational acceleration in different parts of your city or town, and verify that it can be different.

You are viewing 1 out of 31 answers, click here to view all answers.