FormuLab
Physics

Weight

Weight is the gravitational force on a mass.

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Source & review

Difficulty

Beginner

Read time

5 min

Prerequisites

Basic algebra and consistent SI units

Review statusNeeds review

Source

OpenStax, College Physics 2e, §4.3 (Paul Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs)

Textbook reference retained from the OpenFormulaGraph dataset; adaptation credits and license are provided below.

Adapted from OpenFormulaGraph, under CC BY 4.0.

FormuLab adapted the notation, explanations, assumptions, and topic placement, and expanded the numerical check into a worked example.

Definition
Understanding the core concept

Weight is the gravitational force on a mass. Its magnitude depends on the local gravitational acceleration, so mass stays the same when an object moves to a location with different gravity while its weight changes.

Variables & Units
Understanding each component
SymbolMeaningUnits
Weight magnitude
Mass
Gravitational acceleration magnitude
Real-World Applications
Where this formula is used in practice

Load estimates

Find the gravitational load of a supported mass.

Different gravity

Compare weights at different locations.

Worked Example
Step-by-step calculation with real numbers

Problem

Find the weight of a 10.0 kg mass where g = 9.80 m/s².

Given

Solution

1
2
3

Final Answer

FormuLab is a study reference. Verify formulas, units, assumptions, and course-specific conventions before relying on them.

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