Mass is a quality of matter. Weight is what happens when an object with mass enters a gravitational field. It's an interaction between the acceleration due to gravity and the mass of an object. Weight units -- e.g., pounds -- are actually units of force. Even a weightless object (e.g., in space, far from a planet) has mass. Mass is more precise and technically correct, but unless you're planning to escape earth's gravitational field sometime soon, it's an irrelevant distinction in everyday use.
Michael Renner (former HS Physics teacher, among other paths taken in a wandering youth...) Paul Brandon wrote: From Merriam-Webster's unabridged: weight 1 a : the often specified amount that a thing weighs : quantity of heaviness <a basketball player with a playing weight of 215 pounds>. mass 1 a (1) : a quantity of matter cohering together so as to make one body usually of indefinite shape <a mass of dough> <a mass of ore> (2) : an aggregate of particles or things making one body or quantity usually of considerable size <a mass of sand> (3) : a homogeneous pasty mixture compounded for making pills, troches, and plasters <blue mass> (4) obsolete : UNIVERSE, EARTH b (1) : the extent of body of a solid object : the extent of space that an object occupies : EXPANSE, BULK <the highest mountain mass on the globe -- Encyc. Americana> <lifts its bulky mass over the tangled summits -- Wynford Vaughan-Thomas> (2) : massive quality or effect : MAGNITUDE, MASSIVENESS <in the face of their mass and virtuosity, what was the use of rebelling against his frequent abuse of the language -- Time> Note the last exemplar! Since the term mass has many more meanings, its use would be less precise. Also, it does not have a usable verb form: one may weigh a subject, but not mass it! -- * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Dept Minnesota State University * * 23 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 ph 507-389-6217 * * http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/psych/welcome.html * ------------------------------------------------- Michael J. Renner Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Nazareth College 4245 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14618 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice: +1.585.389.2391 Fax: +1.585.389.2392 ------------------------------------------------- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
