weight

(noun)

The force on an object due to the gravitational attraction between it and the Earth (or whatever astronomical object it is primarily influenced by).

Related Terms

  • point mass
  • gravitational force

Examples of weight in the following topics:

  • Weight

    • In physics, it is important to differentiate the weight of an object from its mass.
    • On the other hand, the weight of an object is an extrinsic quantity.
    • In US customary units, the weight of an object can be expressed in pounds.
    • In this case, the weight of the object varies due to the force of buoyancy.
    • A spring scale measures weight by finding the extent to which a spring is compressed.This is proportional to the force that a mass exerts on the scale due to its weight.
  • Mass

    • At its 2011 meeting, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) agreed that the kilogram should be redefined in terms of the Planck constant.
    • In everyday usage, the mass of an object in kilograms is often referred to as its weight.
    • In scientific terms, 'weight' refers to the gravitational force acting on a given body.
    • For example, a person's weight on the Earth is different than a person's weight on the moon because of the differences in the gravitational pull of each body.
    • Accordingly, astronauts in microgravity must exert 10 times more force to accelerate a 10-kg object at the same rate as a 1-kg object, even though the differences in weight are imperceptible.
  • Flotation

    • So, for a floating object on a liquid, the weight of the displaced liquid is the weight of the object.
    • When any boat displaces a weight of water equal to its own weight, it floats.
    • This is often called the "principle of flotation" where a floating object displaces a weight of fluid equal to its own weight.
    • Every ship, submarine, and dirigible must be designed to displace a weight of fluid equal to its own weight.
    • The buoyant force, which equals the weight of the fluid displaced, is thus greater than the weight of the object.
  • Normal Forces

    • Bob has a weight of 800 N.
    • Because of Newton's third law, the ground exerts a force on the person that is equal in magnitude to the person's weight.
    • In this simple case, the weight of the person and the opposing normal force are the only two forces considered on the person.
    • The person remains still because the forces due to weight and the normal force create a net force of zero on the person.
    • In this case, the normal force is not in the exact opposite direction as the force due to the weight of the mass.
  • Buoyancy and Archimedes' Principle

    • If the buoyant force is greater than the object's weight, the object will rise to the surface and float.
    • If the buoyant force is less than the object's weight, the object will sink.
    • If the buoyant force equals the object's weight, the object will remain suspended at that depth.
    • However, we also know that the buoyancy force on the fluid must be equal to its weight, as the fluid does not sink in itself.
    • The buoyant force on the ship (a) is equal to the weight of the water displaced by the ship—shown as the dashed region in (b).
  • Mass

    • The terms mass and weight are often interchanged, however it is incorrect to do so.
    • Weight is a different property of matter that, while related to mass, is not mass, but rather the amount of gravitational force acting on a given body of matter.
  • Locating the Center of Mass

    • The position of COM is mass weighted average of the positions of particles.
    • This mean means that position of COM is mass weighted average of the positions of particles.
    • In three dimensions: By supporting an object at three points and measuring the forces that resist the weight of the object, COM of the three-dimensional coordinates of the center of mass can be determined.
  • Translational Equilibrium

    • A book resting on a table is pushing down on the table with the force of its weight .
    • Notice that the amount of force that the table is pushing upward on the object (the N vector) is equal to the downward force of the object's weight (shown here as mg, as weight is equal to the object's mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity): because these forces are equal, the object is in a state of equilibrium (all the forces acting on it balance to zero).
  • Free-Falling Objects

    • Free fall is the motion of a body where its weight is the only force acting on an object.
    • Free fall is the motion of a body where its weight is the only force acting on an object.
  • Dosimetry

    • The weighting factor (wr) and tissue/organ weighting factor (WT) have been established.
    • The weighting factor for the whole body is 1, such that 1 Gy of radiation delivered to the whole body is equal to one sievert.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.