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Alethia
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I'm a bit curious and confused. In genereal problems, when they say that something weighs #Newtons, can you just find the mass by dividing by gravity?
You have to say what you mean by "gravity". If you mean the acceleration of gravity, then the answer is yes: Mass equals weight divided by acceleration of gravity.Originally posted by Alethia
I'm a bit curious and confused. In genereal problems, when they say that something weighs #Newtons, can you just find the mass by dividing by gravity?
...and in a place where G = 9.8. It varies by more than most people realize (more than I realized until someone brought it up a month ago here).Originally posted by Integral
Yes, divide the weight in Newtons by g, [tex]9.8 \frac{m}{s^2}[/tex] to get the mass in kg. This of course assumes that you are on the surface of the earth.
The formula for finding mass by dividing by gravity is: mass = weight / gravity. This means that to find the mass of an object, you need to divide its weight by the gravitational force acting on it.
We divide by gravity to find mass because weight is a force that is affected by gravity. By dividing by the gravitational force, we can isolate the mass of the object and determine its quantity of matter.
The value for gravity is typically given as a constant, which is 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth. However, this value may vary slightly depending on the location and elevation at which the measurement is taken.
Yes, this formula can be used to find the mass of any object as long as you have the weight and the gravitational force acting on it. It is a universal formula that can be applied to objects of any size or shape.
This formula may not be as accurate for objects in space or on other planets because the gravitational force may differ from Earth's. In these cases, a different value for gravity must be used in the formula to get an accurate result.