Mass and Weight

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Mass Noun

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[mas]

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Mass

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A measure of the quantity of matter in an object, representing its resistance to acceleration when a force is applied.

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Example: A balance scale shows that the apple has more mass than the 1-gram weight because the apple's side is lower, demonstrating mass as the amount of matter.

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Inertia Noun

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[in-ur-shuh]

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Inertia

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The property of an object that resists any change in its state of motion; objects with greater mass have greater inertia.

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Example: When the car suddenly stops, the box continues moving forward because of its inertia, which is its resistance to a change in motion.

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Scalar Quantity Noun

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[skey-ler kwon-ti-tee]

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Scalar Quantity

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A physical quantity that is fully described by its magnitude or numerical value alone, without an associated direction.

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Example: The image uses the formula F=ma to show that mass (m) is a scalar quantity, which has only magnitude (like 5 kg), unlike vector quantities.

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Kilogram Noun

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[kil-uh-gram]

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Kilogram

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The SI base unit of mass, representing the amount of matter in an object, and is used in scientific calculations.

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Example: This image shows two scales measuring the mass of grapes (3 kg) and pineapples (4 kg) in kilograms, demonstrating how the unit is used for comparison.

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Gravity Noun

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[grav-i-tee]

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Gravity

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A natural, fundamental pulling force that attracts any two objects with mass toward each other over a distance.

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Example: The image shows Earth, a massive object, creating a gravitational field. The arrows represent the force of gravity pulling everything towards the planet's center.

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Weight Noun

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[weyt]

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Weight

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The force of gravity acting on an object's mass, which can change depending on the local gravitational field strength.

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Example: This image shows a school bag being placed on a scale to measure its weight, with text explaining the process and the unit of kilograms.

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Vector Quantity Noun

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[vek-ter kwon-ti-tee]

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Vector Quantity

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A physical quantity that is described by both a magnitude and a specific direction in space, such as force or velocity.

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Example: A push is a vector quantity because it has both a strength (magnitude) and a specific direction, shown by the arrow.

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Newton Noun

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[noo-tn]

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Newton

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The standard international (SI) unit of force, which is also the unit used to measure the weight of an object.

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Example: This image shows a spring scale, or Newton meter, a tool used to measure force. The scale is marked in Newtons (N), the unit of force and weight.

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Gravitational Field Strength Noun

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[grav-i-tey-shuh-nl feeld strength]

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Gravitational Field Strength

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The force per unit mass exerted by gravity on an object, measured in newtons per kilogram (N/kg).

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Example: A large mass like the Earth (M) creates an invisible gravitational field around it, shown by lines, which pulls smaller masses like a person (m) towards it.

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Acceleration of Free Fall Noun

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[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn ov free fawl]

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Acceleration of Free Fall

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The rate at which an object accelerates in a gravitational field when no other significant forces are acting upon it.

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Example: A satellite orbits Earth because it is in a constant state of free fall; Earth's gravity provides the force (F) that continuously accelerates it.