Mass explanation: I’ve always been told that mass was not the same as weight, and that grams are the metric unit of mass. But grams are a measurement of weight, so am I stupid, was it was explained to me wrong, or is science just not make sense?

Question

Mass explanation: I’ve always been told that mass was not the same as weight, and that grams are the metric unit of mass. But grams are a measurement of weight, so am I stupid, was it was explained to me wrong, or is science just not make sense?

In: 140

Answer 1

Wait… there is something to what you said…

Metric is based on a cubic centimeter of water, at 1 degree C. If the water is 100% water, then its MASS is 1 gram. The WEIGHT of that cubic centimeter at Earth sea level is also 1 gram.

So when someone talks about grams, it can be either weight or mass.