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 how much matter there is. It won’t change unless you add or take away matter. A 1 kg mass will be measured with a mass of 1kg everywhere in the universe, no exceptions.
If we push it with 1N of force, it will accelerate at 1m/s^2
If we put it on a triple beam balance, it will always result in 1kg even if we are on the moon.
Weight depends on the gravitational field you’re in. That 1kg weight weight 9.8N here on Earth but only weighs 1.6N on the surface of the moon. On the surface of Jupiter, it would weigh 24.8N. It’s still 1kg, but its weight is how strong of a force gravity exerts on it.
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