The words weight and mass are used similarly, but their meaning is very different. An object’s mass is the same regardless of where it is placed in the universe. The weight of an object on the other hand varies in different places. Nonetheless, many people talk about kilograms when referring to weight. It is important to note that weight is measured in newtons, which are the units of force, while mass is measured in kilograms. Additionally, weight is the measure of downwards force exerted on an object by gravity.
The gravitational force acting on an object grows with the mass of an object. It shows that the bigger mass an object has, the more gravity pulls the object. The force of gravity is roughly 9. 8 newtons per kilogram on the surface of the earth. The reason why the two terms mass and weight are used interchangeably is because people mostly deal with these measurements on the surface of the earth. The difference between weight and mass helps one realize that mass is the amount of matter in an object and weight is the force that acts on a body caused by gravity.
Additionally, this difference is vital because it helps one know why astronauts are weightless on the moon while they still have mass. Therefore, they are required to exert force on themselves to move from the wall, and the bigger they are the more force is required. Consequently, a trip to the moon might be a nice way of losing weight, but losing mass is a different case.