Mass and weight
Mass and Weight
Mass: The quantity contained in a matter is called mass.
Weight: The product of the mass of a body and acceleration due to gravity is called weight. Weight = mg
OR
The gravitational force applied by the earth to a body is called the weight of the body.
Difference between Mass and Weight:
| Mass | Weight |
|---|---|
| Mass is the measure of inertia. | Weight is the measure of gravity. |
| It is a scalar quantity. | It is a vector quantity. |
| The mass of a body is always constant. | The weight of a body varies from place to place. |
| The mass of a body cannot be zero. | The weight of a body may be zero under certain conditions. |
| The mass of a body is not affected by the presence of nearby bodies. | It is affected by the presence of nearby bodies. |
Question 1:
Under what conditions does a person feel weightless (zero weight, g = 0 ) ?
Ans: Weight of a person becomes zero,
(i) at the Earth’s center.
(ii) at null points in space.
(iii) during free fall.
(iv) inside spacecraft or satellites orbiting around Earth.