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Newton's Laws - Detailed Help

Assignment NL6: Mass vs. Weight

Objectives:

The student should be able to distinguish between the concepts of mass and weight.

The student should be able to calculate the mass of an object if given its weight (or vice versa).

Reading:

The Physics Classroom, Newton's Laws Unit, Lesson 1, Part a
The Physics Classroom, Newton's Laws Unit, Lesson 1, Part b

	Mass is expressed in units of _____ and weight is expressed in units of ...
	Definition of Mass: The mass of an object refers to the amount of matter or stuff present in that object. It is a measure of the amount of inertia which an object possesses. The standard metric unit of mass is the kilogram (abbreviated kg); other units include grams (g), milligrams (mg), and slugs (British system).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	What are the standard metric units of mass? What are the standard metric units of weight?

	The amount of matter or "stuff" in an object is referred to as the ...
	Definition of Mass: The mass of an object refers to the amount of matter or stuff present in that object. It is a measure of the amount of inertia which an object possesses. The standard metric unit of mass is the kilogram (abbreviated kg); other units include grams (g), milligrams (mg), and slugs (British system).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	What is the definition of mass? What is the definition of weight?

	The force of gravity which acts upon an object is referred to as the ...
	Definition of Mass: The mass of an object refers to the amount of matter or stuff present in that object. It is a measure of the amount of inertia which an object possesses. The standard metric unit of mass is the kilogram (abbreviated kg); other units include grams (g), milligrams (mg), and slugs (British system).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	What is the force of gravity and how is it related to mass and to weight? How are they related?

	Which of the following statements are TRUE? (or FALSE?)
	Click the button below to play an audio file in a separate window.
	Definition of Mass: The mass of an object refers to the amount of matter or stuff present in that object. It is a measure of the amount of inertia which an object possesses. The standard metric unit of mass is the kilogram (abbreviated kg); other units include grams (g), milligrams (mg), and slugs (British system).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	There are a number of misconceptions which will hinder a student's ability to be successful on this question. They are discussed here. Mass is not the same thing as the weight. Weight is the force of gravity with which an object is attracted to Earth (or the moon). Mass is the amount of stuff in an object. The mass of an object is the amount of stuff present in that object. If an object takes its stuff from Earth to the moon (or vice versa), the amount of it's stuff is not going to change. On the other hand the force with which that stuff is attracted to the Earth (a.k.a., as weight) is different than the force with which the stuff is attracted to the moon. The formula for calculating the weight or the force of gravity is often stated as Weight = m•g The g in the formula represents the acceleration of gravity. It is an acceleration value and not a force value. It is not be confused with gravity or the force of gravity. The force of gravity is the same thing as the weight of the object.
	How is mass different than weight What is the definition of mass? What is the definition of weight? How is the mass, the weight and the force of gravity all related? Is the mass of an object effected by its location? Is the weight of an object effected by its location?

	The force of gravity of objects on the moon is approximately one-sixth of their value on Earth. Joe weighs 600 N on earth. Joe's mass on the moon will be ...
	Click the button below to play an audio file in a separate window.
	The mass of an object is mathematically related to its weight by the equation: Weight = mass • g where g is the acceleration caused by gravity alone. The value of g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s (approximately 10 m/s/s).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	Many beginning students of Physics have the misconception that the mass of an object is different in different gravitational environments. But don't be fooled! The mass of an object is the amount of stuff present in that object. If an object takes its stuff from Earth to the moon (or vice versa), the amount of it's stuff is not going to change. On the other hand the force with which that stuff is attracted to the Earth is different than the force with which the stuff is attracted to the moon. Success on this question in part depends upon your ability to recognize that the mass on the moon is the same as the mass on Earth.
	How are the mass and the weight of an object mathematically related? How are the mass of an object and the force of gravity acting upon the object mathematically related? Is the mass of an object effected by its location? Is the weight of an object effected by its location?

	The force of gravity of objects on the moon is approximately one-sixth of their value on Earth. Joe's weight on the moon is 100 N. Joe's mass on the Earth will be ...
	The mass of an object is mathematically related to its weight by the equation: Weight = mass • g where g is the acceleration caused by gravity alone. The value of g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s (approximately 10 m/s/s).
	Definition of Weight: The weight of an object refers to the force with which gravity attracts that object to Earth (or to any other object or large body that the object is on or near). The weight of an object varies with its location since it is a quantity dependent upon the gravitational field strength. Being a force, the standard metric unit of weight is the Newton (abbreviated N); another commonly used unit is the pound (British system).
	Click the button below to play an audio file in a separate window.
	Many beginning students of Physics have the misconception that the mass of an object is different in different gravitational environments. But don't be fooled! The mass of an object is the amount of stuff present in that object. If an object takes its stuff from Earth to the moon (or vice versa), the amount of it is not going to change. On the other hand the force with which that stuff is attracted to the Earth is different than the force with which the stuff is attracted to the moon. Success on this question in part depends upon your ability to recognize that the mass on the moon is the same as the mass on Earth.
	How are the mass and the weight of an object mathematically related? How are the mass of an object and the force of gravity acting upon the object mathematically related? Is the mass of an object effected by its location? Is the weight of an object effected by its location?

	Determine the weight of a 921-kg car which is moving at a speed of ... (Note: Numbers are randomized numbers and likely different from the number listed here.)
	The mass of an object is mathematically related to its weight by the equation: Weight = mass • g where g is the acceleration caused by gravity alone. The value of g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s (approximately 10 m/s/s).
	The weight of an object is the force of gravity acting upon an object. As the force of gravity, weight is solely dependent upon the mass of the object and the gravitational field strength (more commonly called the acceleration of gravity) of the location where the object at. There are no other factors effecting the weight of the object. The weight of an object is not dependent upon the speed of the object. It is solely dependent upon m and g.
	How are the mass and the weight of an object mathematically related? Does the speed of an object (traveling at non-relativistic speeds) effect its weight?

	An object weighs 787 Newtons. It is being pushed along a horizontal surface by a 439-Newton force. Determine the mass ... (Note: Numbers are randomized numbers and likely different from the numbers listed here.)
	The mass of an object is mathematically related to its weight by the equation: Weight = mass • g where g is the acceleration caused by gravity alone. The value of g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s (approximately 10 m/s/s).
	The weight of an object is the force of gravity acting upon an object. As the force of gravity, weight is solely dependent upon the mass of the object and the gravitational field strength (more commonly called the acceleration of gravity) of the location where the object at. There are no other factors effecting the weight of the object. The weight of an object is not dependent upon the strength of other forces acting upon the object. It is solely dependent upon m and g.
	How are the mass and the weight of an object mathematically related? Does the speed of an object (traveling at non-relativistic speeds) effect its weight?