how is the weight of a mass m related to the free fall acceleration of an object near the surface of the earth (or moon)

Question

anonymous · Answer

Newton's second law, F=ma where a in this case would be the acceleration due to gravity on whichever body you happen to be standing and F would be the weight. Weight is another way to say "force due to gravity". When talking about weight on earth this is commonly seen as F_g=mg where g is the 9.81m/s^2 that is the constant acceleration due to gravity.