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Mass

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Mass is, informally, the amount of material in an object. It is one of the core concepts of physics, especially mechanics.

Contents

Formal Definition

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter a physical body contains. Mass is often confused with weight, but is not the same. While weight is a measure of the gravity on a body, mass is the amount of matter. Note that in a standard gravitational field, mass is directly proportional to weight.

Units of Measure

  • The SI unit for mass is the gram.
  • The imperial system has no measure for mass, as at the time it was popularized, the distinction between mass and weight had not been popularized.

Related Formulae

  • Momentum is calculated by M=mv, where M is momentum, m is mass, and v is velocity.
  • Thermal energy is calculated by E=mh, where E is the thermal energy, m is mass, and h is heat.

See Also

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