What’s The Difference Between Mass And Weight?

Mass and Weight are the terms that I think we all use in our daily conversations. Do you know? these terms do not mean the same. Many of us use both terms interchangeably which is incorrect. We measure mass in Kilogram(Kg) and weight in Newton(N). We are going to discuss the difference between Mass and Weight in this article.

Q. What is Mass?

Mass can be defined as the measure of the amount of matter in a body. The mass of a body usually does not change, but it can get change if we give or take a huge amount of energy from a body. The SI unit of mass is Kilogram(KG). We can calculate the mass as

Mass = Volume x Density

Q. What is Weight?

Weight can be defined as a measure of the amount of force acting on a person, object, or mass due to the acceleration due to gravity. We can also say Weight is equal to Mass and Acceleration due to gravity. The SI unit for weight is Newton (N). We can calculate the weight as

Weight = Mass x Acceleration due to gravity

Difference Between Mass And Weight:

Mass:

• The SI Unit for mass is Kilogram(KG).
• Mass can not be in zero.
• Mass is constant everywhere and it does not depend upon gravity.
• Mass can be easily measured by using any ordinary balance.
• Mass is a scalar quantity because it only has magnitude.
• Mass is constant, and it is calculated as M=VD.
• Mass is denoted by ‘M’.

Weight:

• The SI unit for weight is Newton (N).
• Weight can be zero if there is no gravity.
• Weight can vary from place to place because it depends upon gravity.
• Weight can be easily measured by using a spring balance.
• Weight is a vector quantity because it has both direction and magnitude.
• Weight depends on gravitational force acting on an object or body. It is calculated as W=MA.
• Weight is denoted by ‘W’.

“We have discussed the basic difference between the two terms. We just hope that after reading this now your doubt for Mass and Weight is clarified. We have also mentioned the formula’s

So, that if you want to know how to calculate both along with their SI units.”

 (Also Read: What’s the Difference Between Climate and Weather?)