Mass and Weight Flashcards
What is mass?
The mass of an object is the amount of matter or “stuff” it contains.
What is weight?
Weight is a force caused by gravity.
What is mass measured in?
Mass is measured in kilograms, kg, or grams, g.
What is weight measured in?
Weight is a force, so it’s measured in newtons (N)
Tom goes to the moon. On the moon does his mass or his weight change or both?
The mass of an object stays the same wherever it is.
Weight changes depending on gravity.
What is the calculation for weight?
Weight = Mass x Gravity
A person has a mass of 60kg. How much do they weigh on Earth, if the gravitational field strength is 10N/kg?
weight = mass × gravity
weight = 60kg × 10N/kg
weight = 600N
A person has a mass of 60kg. How much do they weigh on the Moon, if the gravitational field strength is 1.6N/kg?
weight = mass × gravity
weight = 60kg × 1.6 N/kg
weight = 96N
Which force causes objects to fall?
Weight
Rank these objects in terms of the amount of gravity they have: Earth, Sun, pencil sharpener, Moon, Jupiter.
Sun, Jupiter, Earth, Moon, Pencil sharpener
A car has a mass of 1000kg. How much would it weigh on Mars if Mars has a gravitational field strength of 3.8 N/Kg
Weight = Mass x Gravity
Weight = 1000 x 3.8
Weight = 3800 N
What decides how strong gravity is?
How big the planet is. The more mass an object has the stronger its gravitational pull.
How does the Sun’s gravity compare to the Earth’s gravity?
If you are to compare the Sun’s gravity with that of the Earth, it is 28 times stronger and bigger
Why does an astronaut weigh less on the Moon than on the Earth?
The force of gravity is weaker on the surface of the Moon than on the surface of the Earth.
