Mass is a fundamental property of an object that measures its resistance to acceleration. Simply put, it's the amount of "stuff" in an object. Mass is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and no direction. The standard unit of mass is the kilogram (kg).
Weight, on the other hand, is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. It's a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The standard unit of weight is the Newton (N). Weight depends on both the object's mass and the local gravitational acceleration, denoted as $g$ ($≈ 9.8 m/s^2$ on Earth).
| Feature | Mass | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Measure of an object's resistance to acceleration (amount of matter) | Force exerted on an object due to gravity |
| Nature | Scalar Quantity (magnitude only) | Vector Quantity (magnitude and direction) |
| Unit | Kilogram (kg) | Newton (N) |
| Dependence | Independent of location | Depends on gravitational acceleration (g) |
| Measurement | Measured using a balance | Measured using a spring scale |
| Formula | Mass ($m$) is a fundamental property | Weight ($W$) = Mass ($m$) x Gravitational Acceleration ($g$) or $W = mg$ |
| Variation | Remains constant regardless of location | Varies depending on the gravitational field |
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