All around us there is mass, from the paper we write on to the computer keyboard we use. Even the air we breathe has mass.
People weigh stuff all the time using balances. But if you went to the moon or to Jupiter, your weight would change, but not your mass. This is because mass is not affected by gravity, whereas weight is.
Units of Measurement
A system of measurement is a set of units used to quantify quantities like length, mass and time. Different systems of measurement have been used over the centuries, but as science progressed a need arose for a universal system. This led to the development of the International System of Units or SI (from the French, “Le Système d’unités”).
The seven base units of the SI are the kilogram, the meter, the second, the ampere, the kelvin, the mole and the candela. Three of these, the mole and candela, depend on the definition of the kilogram.
In the past, a physical artifact was used to define these and other base units, but scientists have discovered that it is possible to use constants of nature to provide more stable and consistent definitions of units. For example, the new definition of the kilogram uses a value for Planck’s constant and the Avogadro constant instead of the actual kilogram artifact in Paris.
Methods of Measurement
Mass measurement is a key part of chemistry labs. In general, it is measured using a balance scale, which works by measuring the force of gravity acting on an unknown sample. The scale is then calibrated and displayed in units of mass.
Another common instrument for measuring mass is the spring scale, which measures the amount of force exerted on an object by the elasticity of a calibrated spring. This type of scale is often used in households.
For liquids or materials that cannot be weighed on standard balances, transducers are often used to measure mass properties. These devices send a signal to a processor, which makes the mass calculations and displays them on an indicator.
NIST scientists are developing methods for direct mass measurement that use quantities proportional to the mass-to-charge ratio of ions, either in their time-of-flight through a Penning trap (SPEG at GANIL) or their cyclotron frequency in an ISOLTRAP storage ring or a magnetic spectrometer (TOFI at LANL). These techniques may allow us to extend the known mass table far beyond the proton drip line.
Instruments
In the field of measurement, instruments are used to acquire and compare physical quantities. The process of measurement gives a number relating the item under study to an established standard object or event. Measuring instruments can range from simple objects like rulers to complex equipment such as electron microscopes.
For mass measurements, the most common instruments are balances and scales. The scale is the most common example; a person stands on the device and it obtains a person’s body weight, using Newton’s second law of motion which states that force equals mass times acceleration.
A more precise instrument is a beam balance. This device has two pans and a sliding weight on a beam. By placing a known weight in one pan and the unknown object in the other, the balance determines the difference in weight and therefore the mass of the object. Other instruments that measure mass include spring balances and electronic balances. These devices use different methods for measuring, ranging from measuring the length of an object to determining a pressure reading.
Applications
Whether one buys groceries, takes medication, designs a bridge or space shuttle, or trades commodities across borders, mass measurements play a critical role in our daily lives. Since the dawn of humankind, we have relied on balances and weight standards to measure mass to ensure equity and equivalence in commerce.
Unlike traditional measuring tools like rulers and tape measures, which infer mass from other physical properties of the object or sample, mass photometry directly measures true molecular mass. This enables you to study protein oligomerisation and aggregation, characterise samples in terms of stability or heterogeneity, determine stoichiometry of biochemical reactions, and much more.
From macro scale vibration frequency sensing via spring balances, to micro and nanoscale resonator devices used in mass spectrometry, the technology is advancing rapidly to meet the needs of a wide range of applications. Check out our application page on optomechanical mass sensing for more information.