Mass and Weight
What is Mass?

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter
that an object contains.

The mass of an object is the same
throughout the universe.

The metric unit of mass is the kilogram
1 kilogram = 1,000 grams
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What is Weight?
 Weight is a force. The weight of an object is equal to
the force of gravity between the object and the
earth.
 The force of gravity changes slightly from one part
of the earth to another so the weight of an object can
also change depending on its location.
 Since the force of gravity on each planet is different,
the weight of an object is different from one planet
to another.
 The metric unit of weight is the Newton (N)
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How are Mass and Weight Connected?
 The weight of an object in Newtons (N) is equal to the mass of an
object in kilograms (kg) multiplied by the force of gravity.
 On earth, the force of gravity is 9.8 meters per second each and
every second (9.8 m/sec2) so:
Weight or Force (N) = Mass in kg x 9.8
Therefore, there are 9.8 N/kg

If using grams, there are .0098 N/g
Weight or Force (N) = Mass in g x .0098
Or
1 N = 102 grams of force
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How much do you weigh on another
planet?
 How much do you weigh?
 Convert your weight in pounds to kilograms
1 pound = 0.454 kilogram
 Use the surface gravity value of a planet from the list
shown on the following page to calculate your weight in
Newtons, then convert to pounds.
1 pound = 4.45 Newtons
 If you weigh 50 pounds on earth, how much do you
weigh on Jupiter?
Mass & Weight - 5
Surface Gravity Forces of the Planets
Planet
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
The Moon
Newtons/kilogram
3.68
8.84
9.80
3.72
26.04
11.59
9.18
11.30
0.65
1.62
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