Difference between mass, volume, density, energy and work
The difference between mass, volume, density, energy and work is in the characteristics and capacities that they provide to the bodies, substances or matters. These concepts are associated with physics and chemistry.
The mass It is the physical quantity that indicates the amount of matter that a body contains.
The volume is a scalar quantity that expresses the three dimensions of a body: length, width and height.
The density is the scalar quantity that indicates the amount of mass per unit volume in a substance.
The Energy it is the ability to do work and put something in motion.
The job It is a scalar magnitude where force is used to transmit energy and thus alter the state of motion of a body.
| What is it? | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Mass | Amount of matter contained in a body. | Kilogram (Kg) |
| Volume | Space occupied by a body. |
|
| Density | Amount of dough by volume. | Kilogram per cubic meter (Kg / m3) |
| Energy | Ability to do a job. |
|
| Job | Application of force to move a body. |
|
What is mass?
It is a physical quantity that indicates the amount of matter contained in a body.
Mass is also a measure of the inertia of a body. The amount of inertia of a body depends on its amount of matter, it does not depend on gravity. The more mass a body has, the greater the inertia.
The mass always remains the same no matter where it is, unlike other properties such as weight.
For example: the mass of a baseball is 142 grams.
It may interest you to see Mass and weight.
What is volume?
It is a scalar quantity that measures the space that a body occupies.
The volume is obtained by multiplying the lengths of the three dimensions of the space: length or height, width and depth. Due to the three-dimensional space we live in, volume is measured in cubic meter (m³).
In addition to centimeters or cubic meters, volume is also measured using the liter, which takes into account the capacity of the container where the substance is located. Thus, an object can have a very large mass with a large or small volume, it is indifferent.
For example: the volume of a sponge can vary depending on whether it is compressed or not.
What is density?
It is a property of matter in any of its states that indicates the amount of mass found in each unit of volume.
The more mass is concentrated in a certain amount of volume, the greater the density.
Because it is a derived quantity, it is obtained by dividing the amount of mass by the volume.
Density is what makes an object heavier or lighter.
For example: lead is denser than cork, regardless of size or mass.
It may interest you to see Density and specific weight.
What is energy?
It is the property of bodies that allows to produce force, work or changes in the state of stillness of a body, that is, cause movement.
Energy measures the ability of something to produce work. It is stored and measured in many ways, generally the joule (J) is used.
For some types of energy, the kilocalorie is used, that is why in food packaging it is common to observe the energy in calories.
For example: when a piece of furniture is moved from the living room to the room, kinetic energy has been applied.
What is work?
It is a scalar physical quantity that occurs when one body transfers energy to another causing its displacement.
By applying external force on a body, making it move, work is done where energy has been transferred.
The term work is commonly used as something that requires effort, but in physics if there is no displacement there is really no work, and there is no work without energy.
Mass has energy only when it can produce work.
In mechanics, the change in energy that a body experiences is equal to work.
The work is represented by the English letter 'w' work, which means work, and is expressed in joules (J).
For example: coal, gasoline, electricity and atoms being energy sources can produce work.
It may interest you:
- Matter and energy
- Intensive and extensive properties.
