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Mass is the amount of
MATTER in an object. The amount of matter depends on how many ATOMS
there are. These atoms can be squeezed tightly together, in
something dense, like a rock. Or they can have big spaces between
the atoms, like in a piece of cotton. If you had pieces of rock and
cotton that were the same size, the rock would have the greater
mass.
The amount of gravitational force pulling any two objects together
depends on the amount of their MASS---the greater their combined
mass, the greater the attraction.
Weight is similar, but not quite the same thing as mass. Weight is a
measure of the pull of gravity on an object. The pull we usually
think of is that of the Earth, since that is where we usually are
standing. But on planets with different mass, you would have a
different weight. And in outer space, far from any major
gravitational pull, you would weigh virtually nothing!
For further exploration visit:
http://library.thinkquest.org/27585/
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