Mass, Weight & Gravitational Field Strength (Edexcel International A Level Physics)
Revision Note
Mass, Weight & Gravitational Field Strength
Mass
Mass is the measure of the amount of matter in an object
Consequently, this is the property of an object that resists change in motion
The greater the mass of a body, the smaller the change produced by an applied force
The SI unit for mass is the kilogram (kg)
Weight
Weight is the force a body experiences due to being in a gravitational field, it is given by the equation
W = mg
Where
m = mass (kg)
g = gravitational field strength (N kg−1)
Gravitational Field Strength
Gravitational field strength is the force per kilogram that acts on an object, it is found using the equation
g =
Where
F = weight (N)
m = mass (kg)
On the Earth's surface the average gravitational field strength = 9.81 N kg−1
Constant Acceleration in Freefall
Freefall is used to describe falling objects where the only force is weight
Drag forces are ignored
By considering freefall we can see that all objects must fall with exactly the same value for acceleration, regardless of their mass or weight
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