Conceptually I understand that mass is a measure of the amount of stuff present in an object, while weight is a measure of the force of gravity applied to that object. An object of a given mass will have a bigger weight on Earth than on the moon because Earth’s gravity is stronger. But… mass is determined by weighing an object on a scale. And there is a simple mathematical conversion between grams (mass) and pounds (weight), implying that they’re just different units for the same concept. So what gives? (Also this is a question that applies to so many fields, I had no idea which flair to apply.)
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Mass is the amount of stuff something is made up of, weight is how much gravity pulls on something.
Something will weigh more if gravity is more.
Something will weigh more if mass is increased.
But something’s mass, the amount of stuff it is made up of, will not be more if only gravity is more.
Mass is determined by measuring the pull of gravity on something _compared_ to something with a known/set mass in the same gravity.
Think about if you and your friend who weighs the exact same get on a see-saw. Gravity pulls on you both equally and if you push off the ground carefully you can balance and not tip one way or the other. It would work the same on Earth or the moon. That’s mass.
Now imagine on the moon you stood on a soda can. You probably wouldn’t crush it, but on Earth you probably will. That’s weight.
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