Is the weight of a body the same thing as its mass? Discuss briefly. Is the weight of a body constant at all places on the earth? is the mass?
Same Mass, yes.
Weight, no.
The accleration of gravity (g) varies over the surface of the earth, by a few tenths of a percent.
Weight = M * g
The weight of a body is not the same thing as its mass. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. The mass of an object is constant and does not change regardless of its location, while the weight of an object can vary depending on the strength of the gravitational field it is in.
To calculate weight, we can use the formula: weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity. On Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (9.8 m/s^2). This means that the weight of an object on Earth depends on its mass and the gravitational force at that location.
However, the acceleration due to gravity can vary slightly on different parts of the Earth. Factors such as altitude, latitude, and local geology can cause variations in the strength of gravity. As a result, the weight of an object may change slightly in different locations on Earth, but the change is usually negligible for everyday purposes.
In contrast, the mass of an object remains constant regardless of its location. It is an intrinsic property of the object and does not depend on the surrounding gravitational field. So, while the weight of an object may change, its mass remains the same.