Mass and weight

A concrete post is taken to the summit of a very high mountain. Because the gravitational field there is a little weaker than it is at the base, what change does this weaker field produce in the mass and in the weight of the post at the summit?

Feb/March 2016

Which statement about the masses and weights of objects on Earth is correct?

Feb/March 2017

A stone weighs $5.7\text{ N}$. The gravitational field strength $g$ is $10\text{ N kg}^{-1}$. What is the stone's mass?

Feb/March 2017

A student puts together the apparatus shown in the diagram in order to determine the centre of mass of the card. The student checks that the card, the string and the bob are all stationary. What should the student do next?

Feb/March 2017

Which statement concerning the masses and weights of objects on Earth is correct?

Feb/March 2017

An object aboard a space probe above the Earth has a weight of $3.5\,\text{N}$. At the probe’s altitude, the gravitational field strength is $7.0\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. On the Earth’s surface, the gravitational field strength is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What are the object’s mass and its weight at the Earth’s surface?

Feb/March 2017

In Fig. 3.1, a beam rests on a pivot and is balanced at its centre of mass.

Feb/March 2017

On the Moon, the gravitational field strength is $1.6\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. An astronaut has a mass of $75\,\text{kg}$. Calculate the astronaut’s weight on the Moon.

Feb/March 2018

An astronaut is travelling in a space station that is moving in orbit above the Earth. Within the space station, the acceleration due to gravity is $7.5\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. At the Earth’s surface, the acceleration due to gravity is $10\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. Which statement about the astronaut’s mass and weight in the space station is correct?

Feb/March 2019

A bottle of cooking oil when completely full has a mass of $1.30\,\text{kg}$. After precisely half of the oil has been used, the combined mass of the bottle and the oil left inside is $0.90\,\text{kg}$. What is the mass of the bottle when it is empty?

Feb/March 2019

Which property of an object cannot be altered by applying forces?

Feb/March 2019

The gravitational field strength on the Moon is smaller than that on the Earth. Which of the following would be different if it were carried out on the Moon rather than on the Earth?

Feb/March 2019

A bottle that is completely full of cooking oil has a mass of $1.30\,\text{kg}$. After exactly half of the oil has been used, the mass of the bottle together with the oil left inside is $0.90\,\text{kg}$. What is the mass of the empty bottle?

Feb/March 2019

Fig. 1.1 presents a collection of masses that are all made from the same material.

Feb/March 2019

Diagram 1 shows a piece of flexible material containing many air pockets. Diagram 2 shows the same piece of flexible material after compression, so that its volume is reduced. What happens to the mass and to the weight of the flexible material when it is compressed?

Feb/March 2020

The Moon has a gravitational field strength $g$ of $1.6\,\text{N}\,\text{kg}^{-1}$. A body with mass $2.0\,\text{kg}$ is placed there. Calculate its weight on the Moon.

Feb/March 2020

Diagram 1 shows a piece of flexible material that contains many pockets of air. Diagram 2 shows the same piece of flexible material after it has been compressed so that its volume decreases. What happens to the mass and to the weight of the flexible material when it is compressed?

Feb/March 2020

The graph illustrates how the strength of the Earth’s gravitational field changes as the distance above the Earth’s surface increases. Which row shows the effect this has on the mass and on the weight of an object as it moves farther from the Earth’s surface?

Feb/March 2020

What does weight mean?

Feb/March 2021

Which of the following statements about mass is correct?

Feb/March 2021

Two objects are put on a balance, one on either side, as shown. Which properties of the objects can be compared by using the balance?

Feb/March 2023

On Mars, the acceleration of free fall is $3.7\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. Determine the weight of a $2.0\,\text{kg}$ mass on Mars?

Feb/March 2024

An irregular plane object is hung freely from point O. It is moved aside and then let go. After swinging a few times, it comes to rest as shown. Where is the centre of gravity of the object?

Feb/March 2024

Which property of an object is defined by the gravitational force acting on its mass?

Feb/March 2025

A stone has a weight of $5.7\,\text{N}$. The gravitational field strength $g$ is $9.8\,\text{N}\,\text{kg}^{-1}$. What is the mass of the stone?

Feb/March 2025

A mass of $20\,\text{kg}$ is kept at rest by a rope that goes over a frictionless pulley. What is the force $T$ in the rope?

Feb/March 2025

The graph illustrates how the strength of the Earth’s gravitational field changes as the distance above the Earth’s surface increases. Which row describes the effect this has on an object’s mass and its weight as it moves farther from the Earth’s surface?

Feb/March 2025

The acceleration of free fall on the Moon is one sixth of that on the Earth. On the Earth, an astronaut’s mass is measured to be $60\,\text{kg}$. Which row shows the astronaut’s mass and weight on the Earth and on the Moon?

Feb/March 2025

A cup holds a hot liquid. Part of the liquid evaporates. What happens to the mass, and what happens to the weight, of the liquid in the cup?

May/June 2016

An object has a mass of $50\ \text{kg}$. On Earth, the gravitational field strength is $10.0\ \text{N kg}^{-1}$. On a distant planet, the gravitational field strength is $4.0\ \text{N kg}^{-1}$. What is the object's weight on Earth, and what is its weight on the distant planet?

May/June 2016

A cup holds a hot liquid. Part of the liquid evaporates. What happens to the liquid’s mass, and what happens to the liquid’s weight in the cup?

May/June 2016

A cup holds a hot liquid. Part of the liquid evaporates. What happens to the mass and what happens to the weight of the liquid in the cup?

May/June 2016

The diagram depicts an L-shaped piece of card hanging freely from a pin at B. If the card is displaced, it moves back and forth and then settles in the position shown. At which labelled point is the centre of mass of the card?

May/June 2016

A cup is holding a hot liquid. Part of the liquid turns into vapour. What happens to the mass and what happens to the weight of the liquid in the cup?

May/June 2016

A cup holds hot liquid. Part of the liquid evaporates. What happens to the mass and what happens to the weight of the liquid in the cup?

May/June 2016

A cup holds a hot liquid. Part of the liquid evaporates. What happens to the mass, and what happens to the weight, of the liquid in the cup?

May/June 2016

Which expression is used to determine gravitational field strength $g$?

May/June 2017

A shopkeeper places rice into a dish suspended from a spring balance and notes the reading. Later, a customer purchases some pasta. The shopkeeper sees that the spring balance reading, with only pasta in the dish, matches the reading obtained when only rice was in the dish. Which quantity has to be the same for the rice and the pasta?

May/June 2017

The combined weight of four identical steel blocks is $120\,\text{N}$. Take the gravitational field strength $g$ as $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What is the mass of a single steel block?

May/June 2017

A steel sample is transported from the Earth to the Moon for an experiment. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is lower than that on the Earth. Which statement about the steel sample is correct?

May/June 2017

Fig. 3.1 illustrates remote sensing equipment sitting on the surface of a distant planet.

May/June 2017

Fig. 2.1 depicts a vehicle intended for use on the Moon, and its brakes are examined on Earth.

May/June 2017

Diagram 1 illustrates a beam balance. A beaker fitted with a wire loop is in equilibrium with the standard masses. The beaker is then taken off and suspended from a spring. The spring stretches by $5.0\,\text{cm}$, as shown in diagram 2. The investigation is carried out again using the same apparatus on the Moon, where the acceleration of free fall is smaller than on Earth. Which statement describes what occurs on the Moon?

May/June 2018

Which of the following statements about an object's mass and weight is correct?

May/June 2018

A hole is made in a square tile. The diagram shows the tile suspended freely from a nail. Where is the centre of mass of the tile?

May/June 2018

A person stands on a bathroom scales. The bathroom scales shows both mass and weight. Which row gives the readings on the scales?

May/June 2018

A hole is drilled through a square tile. The diagram shows the tile hanging freely from a nail. Where is the centre of mass of the tile?

May/June 2018

Diagram 1 illustrates a beam balance. A beaker fitted with a wire loop is in equilibrium with the standard masses. The beaker is then taken off and suspended from a spring. The spring stretches by 5.0 cm, as shown in diagram 2. The same apparatus is used again on the Moon, where the acceleration of free fall is smaller than on Earth. Which statement describes what happens on the Moon?

May/June 2018

An object always possesses mass, but it does not always possess weight. What must be present and acting on the mass for it to have weight?

May/June 2018

Which statement concerning an object’s mass and its weight is correct?

May/June 2018

Which of the following statements about the mass of an object is correct?

May/June 2018

A person stands on a bathroom scales. The bathroom scales measures both mass and weight. Which row shows the readings on the scales?

May/June 2018

A body has a weight of $7600\,\text{N}$ in a gravitational field of strength $100\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. Determine the mass of the body?

May/June 2018

A student is working with several masses of 50 g.

May/June 2018

An arrow moves in a horizontal straight line at a steady speed. In which direction does the weight act?

May/June 2019

Two rectangular blocks are made from different materials. Four possible methods are proposed for comparing the two masses. Which of these methods can be used to compare the two masses?

May/June 2019

Which row includes two statements that are correct about an object's mass and its weight?

May/June 2019

The table shows estimated values for the acceleration due to gravity and the atmospheric pressure on three planets. A body has a mass of $10\,\text{kg}$ on Earth. Which statement about the body’s weight is correct?

May/June 2019

An object with a mass of $600\,\text{kg}$ is situated on the planet Mars. The acceleration due to gravity on Mars is $4.0\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. What weight does the object have on Mars?

May/June 2019

Two objects are set on a balance, one on each side. Using the balance, which properties of the objects can be compared?

May/June 2019

An object is transferred from location X to location Y, and the gravitational field strength is not the same in the two places. What effect does this transfer have on its mass and on its weight?

May/June 2019

An object’s mass is described by four students. Which one of these statements is correct?

May/June 2019

On Earth, a spring extends by $5.0\,\text{cm}$ when a mass of $3.0\,\text{kg}$ is hung from one end. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is $\frac{1}{6}$ of the value on Earth. Which mass, on the Moon, would produce the same extension in the spring?

May/June 2019

Fig. 4.1 depicts a flat-topped cone and a sphere resting on a table.

May/June 2019

In Diagram 1, a sealed plastic bottle contains a hollow glass sphere and a steel ball. Diagram 2 shows the same bottle after shaking. Diagram 3 shows the same bottle after it has been shaken once more until the broken glass is in tiny pieces. The mass of the bottle and its contents in Diagram 1 is $m_1$. The mass of the bottle and its contents in Diagram 2 is $m_2$. The mass of the bottle and its contents in Diagram 3 is $m_3$. Which statement gives the correct relationship between $m_1$, $m_2$ and $m_3$?

May/June 2021

On Mars, the acceleration of free fall $g$ is $3.7\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. Determine the weight of a $2.0\,\text{kg}$ mass on Mars?

May/June 2021

Diagram 1 depicts a sealed plastic bottle that contains a hollow glass sphere and a steel ball. Diagram 2 depicts the same bottle once it has been shaken. Diagram 3 depicts the same bottle after it has been shaken again, until the shattered glass has broken into very small fragments. The mass of the bottle and its contents in diagram 1 is $m_1$. The mass of the bottle and its contents in diagram 2 is $m_2$. The mass of the bottle and its contents in diagram 3 is $m_3$. Which statement states the correct relationship between $m_1$, $m_2$ and $m_3$?

May/June 2021

An astronaut wants to find out how much she would weigh on a variety of moons. On Earth, she measures her mass as $82\,\text{kg}$. She looks up the values of $g$ on different moons and uses these values to work out her weight. The outcomes are shown. Which weight has been worked out correctly?

May/June 2021

Diagram 1 shows a sealed plastic bottle that contains a hollow glass sphere and a steel ball. Diagram 2 shows the same bottle after shaking. Diagram 3 shows the same bottle after it has been shaken again until the broken glass has become very small pieces. In diagram 1, the mass of the bottle and its contents is $m_1$. In diagram 2, the mass of the bottle and its contents is $m_2$. In diagram 3, the mass of the bottle and its contents is $m_3$. Which statement states the correct relationship between $m_1$, $m_2$ and $m_3$?

May/June 2021

The table lists the weight of a $15.0\,\text{kg}$ mass on several different planets. Which planet has a gravitational field strength of $11.1\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$?

May/June 2021

A body with mass $2.0\,\text{kg}$ is moved from the Earth, where the gravitational field strength is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$, to the Moon, where the gravitational field strength is $1.6\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. Which row is the correct one?

May/June 2021

Which description best explains what is meant by the ‘mass’ of an object?

May/June 2021

An object is resting on the Earth’s surface. Which statement describes the object’s weight?

May/June 2021

A spring balance works through the compression of a spring. It is calibrated on the Earth in grams. A beam balance works by comparing standard masses with the unknown mass being measured. The same unknown mass is weighed using each balance on the Earth and on the Moon. The gravitational field strength on the Earth is larger than that on the Moon. How would the results on the Earth differ from those on the Moon?

May/June 2022

An object is transferred from point X to point Y. The acceleration of free fall at X is not the same as that at Y. Which statement about the object at Y is correct?

May/June 2022

Two different objects, P and Q, are given to four students. Every student measures the mass of P and the weight of Q. The outcomes are shown in the table. Which row shows a possible outcome?

May/June 2022

On the Moon, every object falls at the same acceleration. Which statement accounts for this?

May/June 2022

Fig. 2.1 depicts a textbook that is closed.

May/June 2022

Which unit is used to measure weight?

May/June 2023

A space rocket goes to the Moon. The acceleration of free fall is larger on Earth than it is on the Moon. How do the space rocket’s mass and weight on the Moon compare with their values on Earth?

May/June 2023

A shopkeeper puts rice into a pan suspended from a spring balance and notes the reading. A customer then buys some pasta. The shopkeeper sees that the spring balance reading, when the pan contains only pasta, is the same as when it contained only rice. Which quantity has to be the same for the rice and for the pasta?

May/June 2023

A metal plate with an irregular shape is hung freely from a point P and is shown in equilibrium. Point Q lies vertically beneath P. Which statement about the location of the centre of gravity of the metal plate is correct?

May/June 2023

Which statement concerning mass or weight is incorrect?

May/June 2023

Three toys for children, X, Y and Z, all have the same size and shape. The weights inside them are placed at different positions, so the location of each toy’s centre of gravity is different. The centre of gravity of each toy is labelled P. Which toy is the most stable, and which toy is the least stable, when they are balanced in the positions shown?

May/June 2023

Two rectangular blocks are made from different materials. Four methods are proposed for comparing their two masses. Which methods provide a comparison of the two masses?

May/June 2023

On the Earth, a spring extends by $5.0\,\text{cm}$ when a mass of $3.0\,\text{kg}$ is hung from one end. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is $\frac{1}{6}$ of that on the Earth. Which mass, on the Moon, would cause the spring to have the same extension?

May/June 2023

A shopkeeper tips rice into a dish suspended from a spring balance. He notes the scale reading. A customer then purchases some pasta. The shopkeeper observes that the reading on the spring balance, with only pasta in the dish, is the same as it was when only rice was in the dish. Which quantity has to be identical for the rice and the pasta?

May/June 2023

Which statement concerning mass or weight is incorrect?

May/June 2023

A steel sphere P has a weight of $10\,\text{N}$ on Earth. A second steel sphere Q has a weight of $10\,\text{N}$ on Mars. The gravitational field strength on Earth is larger than the gravitational field strength on Mars. Which statement is correct?

May/June 2023

Two rectangular blocks are made from different materials. Four separate methods are proposed for comparing the two masses. 1. Compare the accelerations as they fall freely. 2. Compare the values of their lengths × breadths × heights. 3. Suspend each block, one after the other, from the same spring. Compare the extensions. 4. Put one block in the right-hand pan of a beam balance and the other block in the left-hand pan. Which methods provide a comparison of the two masses?

May/June 2023

An object carried in a space probe above the Earth has a weight of $3.5\,\text{N}$. At the space probe’s height, the gravitational field strength is $7.0\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. At the Earth’s surface, the gravitational field strength is $9.8\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What are the object’s mass and its weight at the Earth’s surface?

May/June 2023

The diagram illustrates two objects, X and Y, hanging from springs that are identical. Each spring stretches by a different amount. Which row compares the mass and the weight of the two objects?

May/June 2024

Which of the following statements about the weight of an object is correct?

May/June 2024

An object is moved from the Earth to the Moon. The acceleration of free fall is $9.8\,\text{m s}^{-2}$ on the Earth and is $1.6\,\text{m s}^{-2}$ on the Moon. Which row shows the mass and the weight of the object on the Moon compared with on the Earth?

May/June 2024

What name is used for the amount of matter in an object?

May/June 2024

An object is transferred from position X to position Y, where the gravitational field strength is not the same. What change, if any, occurs to its mass and to its weight as a result of the transfer?

May/June 2024

An astronaut with mass $80\,\text{kg}$ is standing on a planet where the gravitational field strength is $g = 3.8\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What is the astronaut’s weight on this planet?

May/June 2024

Which statement concerning gravitational field strength $g$ is correct?

May/June 2024

Which property of an object cannot be altered by applying forces?

May/June 2024

Which row shows the correct weight of the mass when it is on the Earth’s surface?

May/June 2025