Re: Weight and Mass

[Michael Bowen <fizzbowen@MINDSPRING.COM>]

At 10:05 2001/09/24, Tina Fanetti wrote:
> I thought I had explained clearly what the difference between weight =
> and mass was to my students.  I asked them to write down any question=
> s they had at the end of class and some one wants me to explain the d=
> ifference again with examples.

I think this example was originally proposed by Isaac Asimov, although I
don't know the specific reference, so I'm only able to do a poor paraphrase.

If you are far out in space, where g is effectively zero, a cannonball will
float in the cabin of your spacecraft because it has no weight. If you try
kicking it, however, you will surely break your toe, just as you would in a
1-g environment, because it does still have mass (inertia, or "resistance"
to change in momentum).

--MB