Mass and Weight, What's the Difference?

Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Weight is a force and is measured in pounds or kilograms (1,000 grams). Gravitational force gives the mass its weight. As an example, a spacecraft can weigh 500 tons (one million pounds) here on earth where it is affected by the earth’s gravitational pull. In outer space, beyond the earth’s gravity and atmosphere, the spacecraft is nearly weightless but its mass remains unchanged.

The difference in weight of a space shuttle on earth and in space.

Automobile specifications list the weight of a vehicle primarily in two ways. Gross weight is the total weight of the vehicle when it is fully loaded with passengers and cargo. Curb weight is the weight of the vehicle when it is not loaded with passengers or cargo.

Metric Conversion To convert kilograms into pounds, simply multiply the weight in kilograms by 2.2046. For example, if something weighs 5 kilograms, then 5 × 2.2046 = 11.023 pounds. To express this answer in pounds and ounces, convert the 0.023 pound into ounces. Because there are 16 ounces in a pound, multiply 16 by 0.023 ( 16 × 0.0 23 = 0. 368 ounce ) . Therefore, 5 kilograms is equal to 11 pounds and 0.368 ounce.