Weight

Weight is a fundamental concept in physics and everyday life, defined as the force exerted on an object due to gravity. In physics, weight is commonly expressed as the product of an object’s mass and the acceleration due to gravity, often denoted as $$ W = mg $$, where $$ W $$ is the weight, $$ m $$ is the mass of the object, and $$ g $$ is the gravitational acceleration[1]. This definition was officially established by the 3rd General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1901.

The distinction between weight as a vector or scalar quantity can lead to different interpretations. Some sources define weight as a vector, representing the gravitational force acting on an object, while others define it as a scalar, indicating the magnitude of the gravitational force.

Additionally, weight can be viewed as the reaction force exerted by mechanisms countering gravity, such as a spring scale. In situations like free fall, weight can be zero, leading to objects being weightless under certain conditions.

Human body weight is a crucial aspect of health assessment and varies globally. Body weight is often used to estimate health indicators like body mass index (BMI) and ideal body weight for clinical purposes.

The average adult human weight differs across continents, with variations from around 60 kg in Asia and Africa to about 80 kg in North America. Factors like hydration levels and activities can cause minor fluctuations in body weight throughout the day.

“The Weight” is also a renowned song by The Band, written by Robbie Robertson. The song narrates a visitor’s experiences in a town called Nazareth and has had a significant impact on American popular music. It has been recognized as one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone and has influenced various artists who covered it over the years.

In summary, weight plays a crucial role in physics, health assessment, and cultural expressions like music. Understanding the concept of weight involves grasping its definition in physics, its implications for health evaluation, and its cultural significance in art forms like music.

Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight

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Weight (Wikipedia)

This page is about the physical concept. In law, commerce, and in colloquial usage weight may also refer to mass. For other uses see Weight (disambiguation).

In science and engineering, the weight of an object, is the force acting on the object due to acceleration of gravity.

Weight
A diagram explaining the mass and weight
Common symbols	${\displaystyle W}$
SI unit	newton (N)
Other units	pound-force (lbf)
In SI base units	kg⋅m⋅s−2
Extensive?	Yes
Intensive?	No
Conserved?	No
Derivations from other quantities	${\displaystyle W=mg}$ ${\displaystyle W=ma}$
Dimension	${\displaystyle {\mathsf {MLT}}^{-2}}$

Some standard textbooks define weight as a vector quantity, the gravitational force acting on the object. Others define weight as a scalar quantity, the magnitude of the gravitational force. Yet others define it as the magnitude of the reaction force exerted on a body by mechanisms that counteract the effects of gravity: the weight is the quantity that is measured by, for example, a spring scale. Thus, in a state of free fall, the weight would be zero. In this sense of weight, terrestrial objects can be weightless: so if one ignores air resistance, one could say the legendary apple falling from the tree^{[citation needed]}, on its way to meet the ground near Isaac Newton, was weightless.

The unit of measurement for weight is that of force, which in the International System of Units (SI) is the newton. For example, an object with a mass of one kilogram has a weight of about 9.8 newtons on the surface of the Earth, and about one-sixth as much on the Moon. Although weight and mass are scientifically distinct quantities, the terms are often confused with each other in everyday use (e.g. comparing and converting force weight in pounds to mass in kilograms and vice versa).

Further complications in elucidating the various concepts of weight have to do with the theory of relativity according to which gravity is modeled as a consequence of the curvature of spacetime. In the teaching community, a considerable debate has existed for over half a century on how to define weight for their students. The current situation is that a multiple set of concepts co-exist and find use in their various contexts.