We generally tend to confuse terms like mass and weight, and it is that far from what it may seem, these properties of the field of physics are completely different. One of the key differences between weight and mass is that the weight can vary, but the mass is constant. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg), while weight is measured in newtons (N). Mass refers to the amount of matter that an object has, but weight refers to the force of gravity acting on an object. Now we go into depth to differentiate mass and weight.
Steps to follow:
1
The mass of a body is related to the number and class of particles that form it. It is a measure of the amount of matter that the body has and is measured in kilograms, grams, tons, pounds, ounces, etc. Here we can already observe that what we generally know as the weight of an object is actually its mass.
2
The weight of a body, on the other hand, is a measure of force which is caused on said body by the gravitational field. Although the weight will depend on the mass of the body, it is not the same. It is measured in Newtons (N) and also in kg-force.
3
We can then say that kg is a unit of mass, not weight. However, the devices that we usually use to “weigh” such as scales, have a scale graduated in Kg and not in kg-force, something that perhaps has contributed to the confusion.
4
Custom has made us confuse the concept of weight, which we use, without knowing it many times, as a synonym for mass. Thus, when we are on a scale, we usually say that we are weighing ourselves. However, what we are measuring at that moment is our amount of dough, which will be expressed in kilograms.
5
This accepted confusion is due to the fact that the recognition of the difference of these two properties is relatively recent. Thus, the word weight has become part of our vocabulary without us often knowing exactly what we are referring to.
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