PhysicsCode 5054
Mass and weight
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- State that mass gives a measure of how much matter an object contains when it is at rest relative to an observer
- State that an object's mass opposes any change in its state of motion or rest (inertia)
- Know that a beam balance or an equal-arm balance can be used to compare weights, and so also masses
- Describe the procedure for working out mass by means of an electronic balance
- Describe how a force meter is used to measure weight
- Define gravitational field strength as the force on each unit of mass; recall gravitational field strength = weight / mass and use it, and know that it equals the acceleration of free fall
- State that a gravitational field is a space in which a mass is acted on by a force arising from gravitational attraction.