Practice Mass in Physics

Use these practice problems to test your method after reviewing the concept explanation and worked examples.

Quick Recap

The amount of matter in an object and a fundamental measure of how much it resists changes to its state of motion (inertia).

How 'heavy' something feels when you try to push it, regardless of gravity.

Showing a random 20 of 50 problems.

Example 1

easy
A 4 kg object is pushed with a net force of 24 N. Find its acceleration.

Example 2

easy
A student says "my mass on Mars would be smaller because Mars has less gravity." Is this correct?

Example 3

medium
On the Moon (g=1.6 m/s2) an object weighs 32 N. Find its mass and its weight on Earth (g=9.8 m/s2).

Example 4

easy
Which has more inertia: a 2 kg ball or a 5 kg ball?

Example 5

medium
A scale reads 50 kg for a person. What is their weight in newtons (g=9.8 m/s2)?

Example 6

challenge
A rocket of total mass 1000 kg (including fuel) ejects exhaust at a rate such that the thrust is 15,000 N upward while the rocket lifts off (g=9.8 m/s2). Find the upward acceleration just at liftoff.

Example 7

easy
Is mass a vector or a scalar?

Example 8

medium
A spring scale (calibrated for Earth) reads 24 N when an object hangs from it on the Moon (gmoon=1.6 m/s2). What is the object's mass?

Example 9

hard
Two masses are connected by a string over a frictionless pulley: m1=3 kg on the floor side and m2=5 kg hanging. Find the magnitude of the acceleration (g=10 m/s2).

Example 10

hard
A 5 kg object on a frictionless horizontal surface is pulled by a rope at 30∘ above horizontal with 20 N. Find the horizontal acceleration.

Example 11

medium
An astronaut has a mass of 75 kg. What would their weight be on the Moon where gmoon=1.6 m/s2? Compare this to their weight on Earth (g=9.8 m/s2).

Example 12

easy
An object has a weight of 49 N on Earth where g=9.8 m/s2. What is the mass of the object?

Example 13

easy
A bag of flour weighs 19.6 N on Earth (g=9.8 m/s2). What is its mass?

Example 14

easy
A net force of 12 N gives an object 3 m/s2. Find its mass.

Example 15

medium
Two blocks, 3 kg and 2 kg, are glued together and pushed with 20 N on a frictionless floor. Find the acceleration.

Example 16

medium
A 2 kg block and a 6 kg block are tied together and pulled on a frictionless surface with a 24 N force. Find the acceleration of the system.

Example 17

easy
A toolbox weighs 72 N on a planet where g=12 m/s2. What is its mass?

Example 18

challenge
A balance (lever-style, not a spring scale) on Earth reads 4 kg for an object. What would the same balance read on the Moon?

Example 19

easy
True or false: an object's mass changes when it is moved from Earth to the Moon.

Example 20

easy
What is the SI unit of mass?