Mass measurement is the process of determining the amount of matter in an object. This value can help us to determine many other parameters such as the strength of its gravitational attraction, its resistance to acceleration due to a force, and its inertia.
Mass is measured in grams, kilograms and pounds. Grams are used for larger objects and kilograms are used for smaller ones.
Weight
Mass is a physical quantity that is measured in terms of weight. It is usually expressed in kilograms (kg), grams (g), and milligrams (mg).
The mass of an object does not change with position, movement or alteration of shape unless material is added or removed from it. This is because mass is a measure of the amount of matter that is inside the object.
Weight is a measure of the force exerted by gravity on an object. It varies slightly from place to place due to the strength of the gravitational field, but it stays constant at all times and locations under ordinary circumstances.
In the International systems of measurement, SI, a mass unit is a kilogram. Other units of mass include gram and pounds.
Gravitational Force
Gravity is an attractive force between two objects that are separated by a distance. It is a force that is proportional to the masses of the objects and inversely proportional to the square of their distance.
Newton’s law of universal gravitation states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the squared distance between them. This relationship is expressed as [ F = G M1 M2 / D2 ] where G is the universal gravitational constant (= 6.67 x 10-11N m2/kg2) and is named after Isaac Newton, a 17th century British scientist.
Like the magnetic force, gravity is a result of traveling, longitudinal waves that are partially absorbed by particles, resulting in a shading effect between them. In a similar way, the longitudinal wave energy of a body is reduced on its left side and a similar reduction occurs on its right side.
Inertial Force
Inertial force, as described by the Law of Inertia, is the propensity for massive objects to resist changes in their relative motion. This property is proportional to their mass and is a characteristic that all objects have.
When an object is in rest, it will remain in that state unless acted upon by some force. An object in motion will also remain at that speed unless acted upon by a force.
A ball on the ground will not roll unless someone pushes it. Likewise, when you ride on a merry-go-round, you feel the centrifugal force pushing you out of the circle.
As described by Newton, the relationship between an object’s mass m, its acceleration a and the force F is:
Equilibrium
Equilibrium is a stable state in which there are no positive or negative energy transfers. It is a basic premise of biology, physics and chemistry that objects in equilibrium are at rest with minimal influence from external forces.
This premise is very important to mass measurement because it means that bodies will be at rest when there are no internal or external forces acting on them. These forces are generally the result of gravity and interatomic forces which can be a very powerful force on an object.
The law of mass action states that an equilibrium will shift when a change in concentration occurs. This shift will re-establish the equilibrium with different relative compositions.
This can be done by adding or removing reactants or products in the reaction. In addition, changes in temperature will also cause the equilibrium to shift.