Compare and contrast mass and weight.

Question

High School Physics

Answer 1

Mass is the amount of matter an object contains.

Weight is the measure of the pull of gravity on that object.

 

Think: A man has a certain mass on Earth and it is the same on the moon. Yet his weight on the earth is more that his weight on the moon.

Answer 2

Syd,

Mark and Michael gave you good answers. I suggest you re-examine the question you posted at the link below in light of the two answers:

https://www.wyzant.com/resources/answers/273599/if_an_astronaut_weighed_175_pounds_on_earth_he_would_have_weighed_only_29_pounds_on_the_moon_if_his_mass_was_80_kg_on_earth_what_would_his_mass_have_been_on

Answer 3

Mass is independent.  Weight is a quantity that varies with a person's mass with respect to gravity.  Here is an equation to represent this.

 

W = mg

 

where:

W = weight

m = mass

g = acceleration due to gravity

 

 

So if two people live on the same environment, then the person with more mass will have more weight.

In addition, a person will have more weight on a planet with more gravity.