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Mass Vs Weight Worksheet-1

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Katharina Ajeng
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23 views3 pages

Mass Vs Weight Worksheet-1

Uploaded by

Katharina Ajeng
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mass vs.

Weight
http://www.astronomynotes.com/gravappl/s4.htm

Though the terms weight and mass are used interchangeably in common language, in science there is
distinct difference between the two terms. The weight of an object = force of gravity felt by that
object, but the mass of an object is the amount of matter the object has. Mass is a measure of the
object's resistance to acceleration: a push on a skateboard will make it roll away quickly but the
same push on a more massive car will barely budge it.

An object's weight depends on the pull of the gravitating object but the object's mass is
independent of the gravity. For example, Joe Average weighs himself on the Earth's surface and
then on the Moon's surface. His weight on the Moon will be about six times less than on the Earth
but the number of atoms in his body has not changed so his mass is the same at the two places. In
the old English unit system, there is a ``pound'' of force and ``pound'' of mass. On only the
Earth's surface, an object's pound of mass = the number of pounds of force felt by the object due
to the Earth's gravity.

In the metric system there is no confusion of terms. A kilogram is a quantity of mass and a newton
is a quantity of force. One kilogram (kg) = 2.205 pounds of mass and 4.45 newtons (N) = 1 pound of
force. If someone uses ``pounds'', be sure you understand if s/he means force or mass!

How do you do that?

To find something's weight in newtons, you multiply the mass in kilograms by the acceleration of gravity in
the units of meters/seconds2.

For example: Joe Average has a mass of 63.5 kg and he feels a force of gravity on the Earth= 63.5 kg × 9.8
m/s2 = 623 kg m/s2 = 623 N. His weight is 623 N.

The other value in the preceding equation, 9.8 m/s2, is the acceleration due to gravity close to the Earth's
surface. Joe Average's weight at other places in the universe will be different but his mass will remain the
same.
Define the following:
 Kilogram______________________________________________________________
 Mass_________________________________________________________________
 Weight_______________________________________________________________
 Newton_______________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. What is the difference between mass and weight?

2. When the astronauts landed on the moon, how were they able to stay on the ground?

3. If Joe Astronaut has a mass of 40 kilograms on the Earth, how much mass would he have on
an asteroid with 10 times less surface gravity that the Earth’s surface gravity? Explain
your answer.

4. Determine your weight (if you don’t know it, estimate) on other planets.

Planet Force of Gravity Relative to Weight


Earth (Multiply Earth’s weight
by this number)

Sun 27.9
Mercury 0.38
Venus 0.91
Earth 1
Moon 0.17
Mars 0.38
Jupiter 2.54
Saturn 1.08
Uranus 0.91

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