What is the difference between mass and weight?

Difference Between Mass and Weight

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Mass is a measurement of the amount of matter something contains, while weight is the measurement of the pull of gravity on an object.

Mass is constant no matter where you are because it is the amount of matter in an object and weight changes because it's the pull of gravity on an object.

Note that mass is independent of everything but the weight is different on the earth, moon, etc.

Mass is measured by using a balance comparing a known amount of matter to an unknown amount of matter. Weight is measured on a scale.

Mass is commonly measured in kilograms and grams while weight is commonly measured in Newtons.

An object with a mass of 1.0 kilogram will weigh approximately 9.81 newtons on the surface of the Earth (its mass multiplied by the gravitational field strength), since the Newton is a unit of force, while the kilogram is a unit of mass. The object's weight will be less on Mars (where gravity is weaker), more on Saturn, and negligible in space when far from any significant source of gravity, but it will always have the same mass.

Relation Between Mass and Weight

weight is defined using the basic equation

F=ma

where m is mass and a is acceleration. When you weigh yourself on a scale, you aren't measuring mass but force. It's how hard is the earth pulling you towards it. This isn't the same thing as mass. A simple way to think about it, anytime you want to know your weight, you need two things: m and a. You plug them into that equation above, and boom out pops the weight.