Mass and weight are key ideas to understand Newton's Laws of Motion, especially how they relate to acceleration.
Mass: This is how much stuff (or matter) is in an object. It is usually measured in kilograms (kg). Mass stays the same no matter where the object is.
Weight: This is the force that gravity pulls on an object. To find weight, you multiply mass by how strong gravity is pulling. Weight is measured in newtons (N).
Weight can be calculated with this formula:
[ W = m \cdot g ]
where:
Newton's Second Law tells us that the force acting on an object (( F )) equals the mass (( m )) of the object times how fast it’s speeding up (( a )):
[ F = m \cdot a ]
We can also rearrange this to show the relationship between mass, weight, and acceleration:
[ a = \frac{F}{m} ]
If an object has a greater mass, it needs more force to speed up at the same rate. For example, if you have an object that weighs 10 kg and it is pushed with a force of 50 N, you can find the acceleration like this:
[ a = \frac{50 , \text{N}}{10 , \text{kg}} = 5 , \text{m/s}^2 ]
Mass tells us how much matter is in an object. Weight is the force of gravity on that matter. Both mass and weight are important for understanding how objects speed up when forces are applied, according to Newton’s laws.
Mass and weight are key ideas to understand Newton's Laws of Motion, especially how they relate to acceleration.
Mass: This is how much stuff (or matter) is in an object. It is usually measured in kilograms (kg). Mass stays the same no matter where the object is.
Weight: This is the force that gravity pulls on an object. To find weight, you multiply mass by how strong gravity is pulling. Weight is measured in newtons (N).
Weight can be calculated with this formula:
[ W = m \cdot g ]
where:
Newton's Second Law tells us that the force acting on an object (( F )) equals the mass (( m )) of the object times how fast it’s speeding up (( a )):
[ F = m \cdot a ]
We can also rearrange this to show the relationship between mass, weight, and acceleration:
[ a = \frac{F}{m} ]
If an object has a greater mass, it needs more force to speed up at the same rate. For example, if you have an object that weighs 10 kg and it is pushed with a force of 50 N, you can find the acceleration like this:
[ a = \frac{50 , \text{N}}{10 , \text{kg}} = 5 , \text{m/s}^2 ]
Mass tells us how much matter is in an object. Weight is the force of gravity on that matter. Both mass and weight are important for understanding how objects speed up when forces are applied, according to Newton’s laws.