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?
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There are many metric systems not just one and they have changed over time. The commonly used all over the world is the SI (International System of Units) the abbreviation is from the french name (Système international d’unités)
> But grams are a measurement of weight,
No, it is not. The SI unit of weight is Newton, weight is a force so you use the unit of force. It is not uncommon that people say wight when the mean mass,
Historically kilogram-force, also called kilopond m has been used as a metric unit of force. That is the force of gravity on a mass of 1 kg on the standard gravity on earth.
It was never part of the SI system used today. SI was created in 1960 and Newton as a force was accepted in 1948.
It is not uncommon that people say wight when the mean mass, or use kilogram as it was used historically, but it is not a part of the SI system
US customary unit pound-force for a force and pound-mass for mass, often just calling them pound
As others have said, mass is how much of something there is, while weight is how gravity affects that amount of mass. If I remember correctly from high school physics, weight is equal to mass x the acceleration of gravity. Therefore your weight is relative to your location (on earth, mars, or in space).
Mass is an intrinsic property of an object.
Weight is the force enacted by a gravitational field on an object because force = mass × acceleration (due to gravity)
Weight = mass × gravity , which give the results ib which we called weight force (kgf) which could transfer to kN / Newton.
Mass is a fundamental proprety of matter.
Weight is a measure of the gravitational pull, which is directly proportional to mass.
Weight is a **force**. It’s the pull of gravity. Like all forces, they’re expressed in Newtons (N). Mass is measured in grams if you’re using the international system of units, or any other unit (pounds, stone, etc.)
Mass is the same everywhere. It’s a property of matter itself. Weight depends on the gravitational field in which you’re weighing the object.
Picture this, you want to push forward, with your hands a truck and a bike, which one is easier? The bike is easier because it has less mass than the truck. With the same force you can accelerate it faster.
Weight is related to mass because on earth the gravity is the same for everyone, so we use them interchangeably, but it is technically incorrect, if you take your home scale to mars it will show a different measurement, the thing is in reality your scale measures Newtons (force units) and converts them to equivalent Kg for earth.
Another example would be in space, even though you’re “weightless”, moving a block of 200Kg of steel is still harder that a pen. This concept is actually how astronauts get weighted in space, they hold into a bar that pulls them, if they have more mass the bar will move slower.
mass is the amount of matter of an object, weight is the gravitational force acting on an object. unfortunately laymen use grams to refer to weight when it actually refers to mass. this tends to confuse many physics beginners.
Think of it as:
Mass = total number of protons/neutrons/electrons/other fancy particles in a body
Weight = the force that those particles are exerting on the ground (due to gravity)
Grams are *not* a measurement of weight. They are a measurement of mass.
Newtons are the SI measurement of weight.
Mass is a measure of inertia – how hard something is to push. An empty shopping cart is easier to push than a full one because the full one has more mass. The official metric unit of mass is the kilogram which is 1000 grams. Grams are **not** a measure of weight.
Weight is a measure of how hard something is getting pulled to the ground by gravity. Holding an empty shopping cart above your head is easier than holding a full one above your head because the full one is heavier. Weight is a force, and the official metric unit of force is the Newton.
For some reason, in our universe, weight is proportional to mass – that is, the more mass something has, the more it weighs (when all else is equal). And on earth, the force of gravity is almost the same everywhere. So for all everyday purposes, how much something weighs can tell you how much mass it has and vice versa. This is why people get the two confused. But if you take your shopping cart to the moon, it will be just as hard to push in the moon-supermarket because it has the same mass, but it will be easier to lift above your head because it weighs less (because there is less gravity on the moon).
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