What is the relationship between mass and weight?

• A. Weight is independent of gravity.
• B. Mass and weight are the same quantity.
• C. Weight decreases as mass increases.
• D. Weight is dependent on mass and gravity; as mass increases, weight also increases.

Answer: (D)

Weight is the gravitational force acting on a mass, so it depends on both how much matter there is (mass) and how strong gravity is at that location (g). The relationship is W = m × g, meaning increasing the mass increases the weight on the same planet, and changing gravity changes the weight even for the same mass (the same mass weighs more on Earth than on the Moon). Mass is an intrinsic property that doesn’t change with location, while weight is a force that varies with gravity. The other ideas aren’t correct because weight is not independent of gravity and mass and weight are not the same quantity.