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The actual gravitational force on the astronaut ... the force attracting him to the
mass of the earth ... is exactly the same as it always is, and is equal to his weight.
But ... he feels as if there's more force on him, as if his weight has increased.
That's because he's accelerating aboard the launch vehicle, and there's no way
to tell the difference between the force of gravity and the force of acceleration.
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What does weight measure?
Weight is the measurement of gravitational force on an object, relevant to Earth.
What will be the weight in kg of 1 liter of furnace oil having specific gravity of 0.9655?
Mass is measured in kilograms, not weight. The mass of the furnace oil will be 0.9655 kg. If you do not know the difference between weight and mass, consider the following: You have the same amount of material in you whether you are in earth, in mid space or on the moon. That is your mass. You also have a certain amount of weight on earth, which is the effect of the earth's gravitational force acting on your mass. On the moon, the gravitational force is only a sixth as strong and your weight will be only a sixth as much as on earth. In outer space, there may be no gravitational force in which case your weight will be 0. Thus your mass is something that is an intrinsic property of you (at least, of your body) while your weight is largely dependent on the gravitational force acting on you.
What is the difference between the equation for force and the equation for weight?
There are many equations for force, depending on the setup, the machinery, the origin of the force, etc. The equation for weight is one of them. It's the right one to use when the origin of the force is mutual gravitational attraction between two masses. <><><><><> The force acting on an object is mass times acceleration. The weight acting on an object is the force of gravity, and is G (the universal gravitational constant, about 6.67 x 10-11 N (m/kg)2) times mass1 times mass2 divided by distance squared. This is normally expressed in newtons, but if you normalize to G and mass2 you discover that the force due to gravity is the same as mass1.
What is gravitational potential energy related to?
The distance from the object providing a gravitational force.
What is the law of gravitational potential energy?
Gravitational energy is the potential energy associated with gravitational force. If an object falls from one point to another point inside a gravitational field, the force of gravity will do positive work on the object, and the gravitational potential energy will decrease by the same amount.
