4 ms·

I distinctly remember reading how I would weigh a different amount on the moon. This only makes sense if the pound is a unit of force.

• stouset 2y ago
  You would weigh a different amount on the moon, but that is completely independent of how we label our units of measurement. The pound a unit of force. It is also a unit of mass. Both units share the same name.
  • two_handfuls 2y ago
    It's not independent because if I'm 80kg here, I'm still 80kg on the moon. Because gravity does not affect mass. If I weigh 160lb on earth I'm told that I would weigh 26lb on the moon. That makes sense if lb measures force because gravity affects force. In short, this commonly shared "fact" is consistent with pounds being a unit of force, not of mass. Or, I suppose, of lb at least sometimes being a unit of force.
    • stouset 2y ago
      If you weigh 160lb on the Earth, you also have 160lb of mass. You would weigh 26lb on the moon and still have 160lb of mass. I don’t know how to make the point any clearer that there are two units of measurement, both with the same name. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(force) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(force) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)
      • two_handfuls 2y ago
        So how do I know which is meant in a given sentence?