What instrument would be used to find the mass of objects?

Answer 1

A scaleWe measure mass directly; there is a "massometer." But we do have scales, which measure weight, which is directly proportional to mass. (Hyper-technically speaking, mass is a property of matter equal to its resistance to a change in speed or direction of travel.) The mass of an object is the same everywhere in the universe. Its weight, however, changes depending upon its location: a Bowling ball has greater weight on the surface of the Earth than it does on the moon.

Great confusion arises when people interchange units of weight with units of mass. Scientists, particularly physicists, are very careful about not using the terms interchangeably, but regular folks have no choice if they want to get along in the world with other people. For example, when you weigh a regulation bowling ball used by the pros, the scale will tell you it "weighs" 727 kilograms, even though the kilogram is, technically speaking, a unit of mass, not weight.

re discussion on the units of weight and massThis bears further development, because so much darn confusion arises from the colloquial use of the terms pound and kilogram. The discussion above alludes to the problem of interchanging units of mass with units of force, that is, weight.

[To be continued.]

Clarification to "A scale" aboveSome scales really DO measure mass directly: a balance scale measures mass, not weight! Consider:

Let's say you stand on a common bathroom scale near the surface of the Earth and the scale reads 100 pounds. If you then move to the surface of the Moon, however, the scale would read only 16.7 pounds. Bathroom scales are really spring devices and measure weight. The amount they display is dependent upon the force of gravity.

But what if you used a balance scale? You would stand on one tray of the balance scale, and weights are placed on the other tray until the scale balances. There would be 100 pounds of weights on the other tray. If you then move to the surface of the moon, you would NOT need to alter the weights on the other tray. No matter where the balance scale rests, it will always reveal the same result, in this case, 100 pounds. The balance scale doesn't measure weight; it measures mass!

Mass spThe closest thing to a "massometer" would be a mass spectrometer. It is used primarily to identify chemical compounds in an unknown substance and to determine isotopic element ratios in compounds. The exact amount of a substance in a compound can also be determined using mass spectrometry, but that is an involved process because mass spectrometry is not usually used to quantify exact amounts.
ia the pan balance

Answer 2

A balance is what we use in the lab. With the balance, the unknown mass can be

compared to a known mass. That method works on any planet, and you don't

need to know the acceleration of gravity there

A weighing scales is used in homes to measure a body's weight. If you know

the acceleration of gravity in the place where you are, and you use the scale

to measure weight, you can calculate the body's mass from that information.

Answer 3

If you mean Atomic Mass or the mass of gases in a specific volume this is more complicated, so I won't answer that unless somebody really wants to know how. in general... a triple beam balance, a simple balance, or more comonly a digital scale. Weight and mass are different yet related values (weight is the measure of the force of gravity acting on the mass). These scales work by taking a standard object of a known mass and comparing it to an unknown mass. The weight of two objects of the same mass will be the same if under the same conditions so the balance works because the gravitational pull is the same. The digital scale works by having resistance springs that are consistant and the flex of the spring is interpreted as the force of gravity acting on the mass (weight) and then converts it using a simple formula to what the mass would be under general Earth-gravity circumstances.

Answer 4

There is nothing like a "massometer" that really measures mass. The closest thing to a "massometer" would be a mass spectrometer. It is used primarily to identify chemical compounds in an unknown substance and to determine isotopic element ratios in compounds. The exact amount of a substance in a compound can also be determined using mass spectrometry, but that is an involved process because mass spectrometry is not usually used to quantify exact amounts.

Answer 5

A balance or a scale would be used to find the mass of objects. These instruments measure the gravitational force acting on an object, which is directly related to its mass.

Answer 6

triple beam balance and an electronic balance

Answer 7

mass of a solid is determined using a spring balance. unit of mass is Kg.

Answer 8

At the earths surface, mass = weight, so weigh it on scales.

Answer 9

Triple-beam balances will find the mass of various objects!

Answer 10

Beam balance, physical balance