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Because on a bathroom scale, you often measure your 'weight' by pounds or kilograms. But really, it should be measured in newtons. Pounds and kilograms are used for mass. So you are really measuring your mass on a scale, not your weight.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoBecause mass & weight are both used in a type of way of measurement of weighing an item.
Because most people can't differentiate between two distinct scientific terms. Mass and weight are not the same thing.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoIn common language mass is used synonymously with weight because the two concepts did not have separate definitions until the scientific revolution really got going. Before that something weighed what it weighed and that was it because everyone was on earth and the force of gravity is essentially the same everywhere on the surface of the earth.
Once scientists realized that the moon and other planets were bodies like the Earth, but with different surface gravity because they each had different amounts of matter, the concept of mass as distinct from weight was needed and was invented.
So in scientific discourse, mass and weight are two different things and we usually use units of mass to describe how much matter is in an object. However, the common language never truly caught up with that, so most non-scientist people still use units of mass to describe an object's weight.
It's technically incorrect to say that something "weighs" 1 kilogram, but we're used to saying "weighs" and the more strictly correct "has a mass of" sounds a stilted in everyday language.
Mass is measured in kilograms in the SI system, whereas weight (which is a force, remember) is measured in newtons. (The unit of mass in the "English" system is the slug, but it's almost never actually used.)
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoWeight is the force of gravity acting on a mass. W = mg, where W is weight, m is mass in kg, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8m/s2). The unit for weight is the Newton (N).
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBecause most people do not understand the difference.
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What is the weight of a book that has a mass of 23 kg?
The formula that relates weight and mass is: weight = mass x gravity Near Earth, the strength of the gravitational field - the value to be used for "gravity" in the formula - is approximately 9.8 newton/kilogram.
What is weight in physics?
Weight is gravity's effect on mass. That is why weight is not generally used in science, because it varies slightly at different places on Earth, and differs tremendously on other celestial bodies and is zero in space. Mass is a constant.
How is the mass different from weight?
Mass is the amount of matter that something is made of. Weight is a measure of the gravitational force exerted on an object usually by the earth. Weight can change but Mass cannot. Mass always stays the same
What is the use of weight-hanger in physics laboratory?
Weight-hangers are used to add desired amounts of weight to create the mass needed. The mass created is used for experiments involving mass, acceleration and force.
How are inertia weight and mass related?
Inertia and mass are just measurements of the same thing - a characteristic of matter (presumably set by interaction with the Higgs field. Weight - on the other hand - is a measurement of the force of attraction between two masses. As normally used, one mass is the planet Earth.
Why is your weight on earth different from out mass on the moon?
You can't compare WEIGHT with MASS - those two are used to measure quite different things. It doesn't make sense to say that they are the same, or that they are different. You can only compare mass with mass, or weight with weight.
What acceleration number is used to covert mass to weight?
Earth's acceleration which is 9.807m/s^2
What is the weight of a book that has a mass of 23 kg?
The formula that relates weight and mass is: weight = mass x gravity Near Earth, the strength of the gravitational field - the value to be used for "gravity" in the formula - is approximately 9.8 newton/kilogram.
What would be the effect on mass and weight of a body if it is taken from earth surface to the moon?
The mass stays the same, the weight is about one sixth as here on Earth. The astronauts had to learn how to move there... it's harder getting stopped and doing corners, as you don't have the weight and traction you are used to.
What is theUnit to measure mass?
The gram. Also in use in the English (US) System is the pound.*for weight or force exerted by these masses due to gravity the Newton or the Poundal is used to differentiate mass and weight. {Though at the surface of the earth the mass and weight are indistinguishable.}
What is mass instrument used for?
A balanced scale, which compares the mass of one object with that of a known quantity.Balance scale. Measures "weight" on Earth, but the result is easily converted to Mass.
What is weight in physics?
Weight is gravity's effect on mass. That is why weight is not generally used in science, because it varies slightly at different places on Earth, and differs tremendously on other celestial bodies and is zero in space. Mass is a constant.
What is physical weight?
Weight is gravity's effect on mass. That is why weight is not generally used in science, because it varies slightly at different places on Earth, and differs tremendously on other celestial bodies and is zero in space. Mass is a constant.
How much does the earth weigh not based on gravitational attraction?
This may be a trick question. We often use the terms "weight" and "mass" interchangeably, but we use the term "weight" to refer to mass that is in a gravitational field (and generally the gravitational field of earth). . If a person weighs 150 pounds, it means that we have used "pound" as a reference, and that involves (or invokes) the effect of the pull of the earth on that person. But that person has mass that is independent of gravitational attraction. A person who has a mass of 150 pounds has that mass no matter where he may be. That person is weightless in deep space where there isn't anything of substance around to exert a gravimetric pull on the person. Mass is present, but there is no weight. . The earth is not said to have weight. Instead, it has mass, and that mass is a bit short of 1024 kilograms. . See an answer to a related question, "What is the weight of earth?"
What is the unit N used to measure?
N means the unit of mass in newtons. On earth you measure the weight with it in kilograms.
Does the mass stay the same on the moon?
Mass stays the same on Earth, in space, or on the Moon. WEIGHT varies, because weight is the mass times the gravity. On Earth, we're often guilty of lazy speech and lazy thinking, and we sometimes use "mass" and "weight" interchangeably. This is convenient here on Earth, where the force of gravity is pretty much the same everywhere. (There are very minor differences due to changes in altitude or mass concentrations in the Earth, but the differences are unnoticeable without precise instruments.) So one kilogram is a measurement of MASS; 2.2 pounds is a measurement of WEIGHT. They are not the same. In the metric system, mass is measured in grams, while weight is measured in newtons. In the English system (used in the USA, but no longer in England) mass is measured in "slugs" while weight is measured in pounds.
Why are the words mass and weight used to describe the same thing?
Technically they are not. Mass is the amount of matter in an object while weight is how much force an object experiences from gravity due to its mass. An object's weight in a gravitational field is directly proportional to its mass: if you double the mass you double the weight. Since the strength of gravity on Earth varies very little an object of a given mass will have pretty much the same weight any where you take it.
