Understanding Mass: How Heavy Are Things?
What is Mass?
Mass is the amount of matter (stuff) in an object. When we measure mass, we're finding out how heavy something is!
Important: Everything around us has mass - your backpack, your pet, a book, even a tiny paperclip!
We use different units to measure mass, just like we use different units for length (millimeters, centimeters, meters). The unit we choose depends on how heavy the object is.
The Four Main Units of Mass
In the metric system, we use four main units to measure mass: