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Systems of measure either define mass and derive a force unit or define a base force and derive a mass unit [1] (cf. poundal, a derived unit of force in a mass-based system). A slug is defined as a mass that is accelerated by 1 ft/s 2 when a net force of one pound (lbf) is exerted on it. [2]
The SI unit of weight is the same as that of force: the newton (N) – a derived unit which can also be expressed in SI base units as kg⋅m/s 2 (kilograms times metres per second squared). [21] In commercial and everyday use, the term "weight" is usually used to mean mass, and the verb "to weigh" means "to determine the mass of" or "to have a ...
In physics and engineering, mass flow rate is the rate at which mass of a substance changes over time. Its unit is kilogram per second (kg/s) in SI units, and slug per second or pound per second in US customary units. The common symbol is ˙ (ṁ, pronounced "m-dot"), although sometimes μ (Greek lowercase mu) is used.
If a first body of mass m A is placed at a distance r (center of mass to center of mass) from a second body of mass m B, each body is subject to an attractive force F g = Gm A m B /r 2, where G = 6.67 × 10 −11 N⋅kg −2 ⋅m 2 is the "universal gravitational constant". This is sometimes referred to as gravitational mass.
This is convenient because one pound mass exerts one pound force due to gravity. Note, however, unlike the other systems the force unit is not equal to the mass unit multiplied by the acceleration unit [11] —the use of Newton's second law, F = m ⋅ a, requires another factor, g c, usually taken to be 32.174049 (lb⋅ft)/(lbf⋅s 2).
Another variant of the FPS system uses both the pound-mass and the pound-force, but neither the slug nor the poundal. The resulting system is sometimes also known as the English engineering system. Despite its name, the system is based on United States customary units of measure; it is not used in England. [6]
Conversion of units is the conversion of the unit of measurement in which a quantity is expressed, typically through a multiplicative conversion factor that changes the unit without changing the quantity. This is also often loosely taken to include replacement of a quantity with a corresponding quantity that describes the same physical property.
L. Use of the Terms "Mass" and "Weight" [See Section K. NOTE] When used in this handbook, the term "weight" means "mass". The term "weight" appears when inch-pound units are cited, or when both inch-pound and SI units are included in a requirement. The terms "mass" or "masses" are used when only SI units are cited in a requirement.