Question

Mass is measured by physical balance whereas weight is measured by spring balance. Explain.

Answer 1

Mass: It is the quantity of matter contained in a body.

1. Mass is measured using beam balance which measures the mass by comparing the known mass of an object with the mass of the object to be measured.
2. It does not depends upon the gravity of the place and therefore gives accurate reading everywhere.

Weight: It is the force with which the earth attracts a body.

1. In spring balance, weight is measured by using spring. An object is hung on one side of the spring.
2. Gravitational force acts downwards and the spring will be stretched downwards then the weight is measured.
3. Since the gravitational force is different at different places, hence, the recorded weight will be different at different places.

That's the reason mass is measured by physical balance whereas weight is measured by spring balance.