Which statement correctly distinguishes mass and weight?

• A. Mass is a measure of the amount of matter that does not depend on gravity; Weight depends on gravity.
• B. Mass equals weight on Earth.
• C. Weight is a measure of density; Mass is volume.
• D. On the Moon, weight remains the same as on Earth.

Answer: (A)

Mass is the amount of matter in an object and does not depend on gravity. Weight is the gravitational force acting on that mass and changes with the strength of gravity. In other words, weight equals mass times the local gravitational acceleration (W = m g). Because gravity varies from place to place, mass stays the same whether you’re on Earth or the Moon, but your weight changes. On Earth you feel a heavier weight due to stronger gravity; on the Moon, with weaker gravity, the weight is much less, even though the mass is unchanged. The statement captures this distinction, while the other choices mix up concepts (weight isn’t a density measure, mass isn’t volume, and weight isn’t the same on the Moon).