Kids are curious, and the right time to introduce them to basic concepts like mass is while they are young. This will help them understand the concepts in science and mathematics easier later on.
We weigh things all the time with a balance. However, a balance works differently in different gravitational fields. This is because objects have different atomic and molecular makeups that give them different masses.
Inertial mass
The concept of mass is one of the greatest puzzles in physics. It seems to have no relationship with gravitational or inertial force and acceleration, which are related through Newton’s Second Law (F = ma). Objects with greater inertial mass are more resistant to changes in motion, which means they require larger applied forces.
Nevertheless, it is not possible to tell the difference between these two types of mass by touch. For example, a Styrofoam brick will offer less resistance to push than mortar when placed on the same physics lecture table.
As a result, the inertial mass of an object can be determined from its kinetic energy, which is defined by its speed times its mass. This can also be calculated by using the formula E=mc2. This was used by Einstein to develop his Theory of Gravity and Space Time: General Relativity. The inertial mass of physical objects can be measured directly by Kibble balances or indirectly through the atomic count of the 133Cs atom, which has the same value as the kilogram.
Active gravitational mass
In physics, there are three types of mass: inertial mass, active gravitational mass and passive gravitational mass. Although physicists think they are distinct, no experiment has ever unambiguously distinguished them. This is a big deal because one of Newton’s laws — the equivalence principle (F=gm) — requires that inertial and passive gravitational masses behave the same way in the same force field.
Using high-precision measurements of the distance between Earth and the Moon, physicists have shown that iron and aluminum feel and exert gravitational forces the same. This confirms a major assumption in physics: that active gravitational mass and inertial mass are the same.
This puts gravitational mass on equal footing with the concept of weight, which was established by using a balance scale. For example, the ancient Romans placed a test object on one side of a balance scale and then added carob seeds until they balanced to produce a known weight. The number of carob seeds was equal to the object’s gravitational mass.
Passive gravitational mass
In a gravitational field, objects with identical active gravitational mass have equal force exerted on them by the surrounding matter. The magnitude of this force is measured as an object’s weight.
It’s difficult to determine the earliest usage of the word gravity, from Latin gravis (heavy), but physicists have always used the term to mean three different physical quantities: inertial mass, passive gravitational mass and active gravitational mass. In modern physics, it is considered one of the most fundamental concepts to understand and is a key component in Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Physicists have conducted many experiments to look for differences between these types of masses, and they have never found them. This is known as the equivalence principle. It was first confirmed experimentally by Galileo in his Pisa experiment. Now, a new study using lunar laser ranging measurements has confirmed this equivalence to a higher level of precision than ever before. This is a crucial step toward a better understanding of the nature of gravity.
Weight
While most of us use the terms “weight” and “mass” interchangeably, the two are not the same. Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight is a force that depends on gravity. An object’s mass is the same everywhere, while its weight varies by location.
For example, a pineapple and an aluminum baseball bat have the same mass, but one is much heavier than the other. This difference is due to the different atomic and molecular makeups of each object.
While some physics textbooks define weight as the gravitational acceleration of an object, the scientific definition of weight is more complex. Galileo demonstrated that objects with the same volume and density fall at the same rate regardless of where they are on Earth, but if an unbalanced force such as air resistance is applied, they will not fall freely and their weight will be zero. In this sense, astronauts in space experience weightlessness because there is no gravitational force acting on them.