Like the title. How are we able to convert pounds, which are a unit of force, to kg which is a unit of mass, using a simple scale factor. How are electronic scales able to give us a unit of mass when they measure by using the force enacted on the scale by gravity because all they are doing is using a conversion factor between pounds and kg that shouldn’t exist
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Because the measurement of force on an object of a particular mass due to gravity is effectively identical everywhere on planet Earth. For the general purposes of needing to know weight, fluctuations in the force applied by gravity aren’t even rounding errors – they are too minuscule to matter.
Given that that force is effectively a constant in Earth-gravity, we can convert between mass and force _on Earth_.
Because the measurement of force on an object of a particular mass due to gravity is effectively identical everywhere on planet Earth. For the general purposes of needing to know weight, fluctuations in the force applied by gravity aren’t even rounding errors – they are too minuscule to matter.
Given that that force is effectively a constant in Earth-gravity, we can convert between mass and force _on Earth_.
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While pounds are indeed a unit of force, most people treat them as a unit of mass assuming Earth’s gravity.
When someone says that 1 pound is 454 grams, they mean a mass that weighs 1 lb in Earth’s gravity has a mass of 454 grams.
While pounds are indeed a unit of force, most people treat them as a unit of mass assuming Earth’s gravity.
When someone says that 1 pound is 454 grams, they mean a mass that weighs 1 lb in Earth’s gravity has a mass of 454 grams.
There are two types of pound. Pound (force) and pound (mass). So just have to use the appropriate one.
There are two types of pound. Pound (force) and pound (mass). So just have to use the appropriate one.
When you see someone doing this, it’s because they’re taking a shortcut, usually without even realizing that they’re doing it. On the surface of the earth, where acceleration due to gravity is roughly 9.81m/s^2 no matter where you are (it DOES change a bit but not by a huge amount), then we can use the force an object applies to the ground to determine what its mass is. In other words, we can treat a unit of force like a unit of mass. Doing so will get you yelled at by physicists, so don’t do this in any scientific or engineering environment.
When you see someone doing this, it’s because they’re taking a shortcut, usually without even realizing that they’re doing it. On the surface of the earth, where acceleration due to gravity is roughly 9.81m/s^2 no matter where you are (it DOES change a bit but not by a huge amount), then we can use the force an object applies to the ground to determine what its mass is. In other words, we can treat a unit of force like a unit of mass. Doing so will get you yelled at by physicists, so don’t do this in any scientific or engineering environment.
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