Which statement best distinguishes mass from weight?

Which statement best distinguishes mass from weight?

• A. Mass is the gravitational force acting on an object; weight is the amount of matter in that object.
• B. Weight is the amount of matter in an object; mass is the gravitational force acting on that object.
• C. Mass is the amount of matter in an object; weight is the gravitational force acting on that mass.
• D. Weight is a measure of how heavy an object is in kilograms.

Answer: (C)

Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the gravitational force acting on that mass. The two are connected by W = m g, where g is the local gravitational acceleration. Mass stays the same no matter where you are, but weight changes with gravity. For example, a 5 kg mass weighs about 49 N on Earth, but only about 8 N on the Moon because g is weaker there. Weight is a force and is measured in newtons, whereas mass is measured in kilograms. The correct statement captures this distinction by defining mass as the amount of matter and weight as the gravitational force on that mass.

Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the gravitational force acting on that mass. The two are connected by W = m g, where g is the local gravitational acceleration. Mass stays the same no matter where you are, but weight changes with gravity. For example, a 5 kg mass weighs about 49 N on Earth, but only about 8 N on the Moon because g is weaker there. Weight is a force and is measured in newtons, whereas mass is measured in kilograms. The correct statement captures this distinction by defining mass as the amount of matter and weight as the gravitational force on that mass.