Key Stage 2
Meaning
Mass is the amount of stuff an object or material is made of.
About Mass
- Mass can be measured using a measuring scale.
- Mass is measured in grams and kilograms.
Note to Teachers
Students are frequently confused by the difference between mass and weight. This is in part due to the terms being used interchangeably during KS1 maths. It is also due to grams and kilograms being falsely referred to as weight in common parlance. The conceptual difference that mass is 'the amount of stuff in an object' and weight is 'the amount of force pulling an object down' should not be too complicated for a student. However, breaking the habit of using the words interchangeably proves challenging. Teachers should do their best to say 'mass' whenever they are talking about grams or kilograms and say Newtons, stone, pounds or ounces when talking about weight. A useful rule is to remember than on Earth 1kg weighs 10 Newtons. This gives an easy conversion when you want to talk about weight instead of mass. This is different in space where; on the moon 1kg weighs 1.6 Newtons and on Jupiter 1kg weighs 25 Newtons.
Key Stage 3
Meaning
The amount of matter than something is made of, measured in kilograms.