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Mass vs. Weight. What are They? . MASS. WEIGHT. A measure of the amount of matter in an object. . A measure of how strongly gravity is pulling on an object. Related to the number of atoms and molecules in the object: More molecules More matter More mass!.
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What are They? MASS WEIGHT A measure of the amount of matter in an object. A measure of how strongly gravity is pulling on an object. Related to the number of atoms and molecules in the object: More molecules More matter More mass! Move object to place with stronger gravity (like Jupiter) More weight!
How Do They Compare? MASS WEIGHT Will remain constant, no matter where in the universe you put the cat. Depends on the gravity at the place in the universe where you put the cat. On Moon, cat contains same amount of matter as on Earth Same mass! Moon gravity = .17x Earth gravity Cat would weight .17x weight on Earth
How Do You Measure Them? WEIGHT MASS Use a spring scale. Use a balance. Units: grams (g) kilograms (kg) milligrams (mg) Units: Newtons (N) pounds (lb) (in U.S.)
Why are they so confusing? On the Earth, an object’s mass determines its weight…they are directly related! An object’s “mass” is often called its “weight”!! EXAMPLES: If you ask how much something weighs in any other country outside the U.S., people will answer you in KILOGRAMS “NET WEIGHT 1 OZ (28.3g)”