What is Weight?

Physics
What is Weight?

Weight is just another word for the force of gravity. Weight is a force that acts at all times on all objects near Earth. The Earth pulls on all objects with a force of gravity downward toward the center of the Earth.

This force of gravity equals, m, g (or “weight”) is exerted on all objects by the Earth regardless of which way those objects are moving, and what other forces are exerted on the objects. In other words, there will be a gravitational force of magnitude $m g$ m, g exerted downward on all objects near the Earth whether they are falling down, flying up at an angle, sitting at rest on a table, or accelerating upward in an elevator. There may be other forces that contribute to the acceleration of the object, but the force of gravity is always present.

Is weight different from mass?

Yes, weight is different from mass. Weight

W

W is the force of gravity exerted on an object. Mass

m

m is a measure of the inertia of the object (i.e. how much it resists changes in velocity). They are related since larger masses will have larger weights due to

W = m g

W, equals, m, g.

The weight of an object will change if the object is brought farther away from Earth, or placed on a different planet, since the force of gravity on the object will be smaller. However the mass of the object will remain the same regardless of whether the object is on Earth, in outer space, or on the Moon.

Many people confuse mass with weight.