What is Gram and kilogram? — Physics

Definition 20.3 Primary & Middle School Physics · Chapter 20 — Measuring Mass

Mass is measured in grams (written $\mathrm{g}$ ) and kilograms (written $\mathrm{kg}$ ):

1\,\mathrm{kg} = 1000\,\mathrm{g}.

A paperclip has a mass of about $1\,\mathrm{g}$ ; an apple about $150\,\mathrm{g}$ ; a carton of milk about $1\,\mathrm{kg}$ ; you, a few tens of kilograms. Like the metre, these units are the same for everyone on Earth.

Examples

Example 20.6 (Reading the market)

“A kilogram of apples” means: apples until the scale balances a $1\,\mathrm{kg}$ block — about $6$ or $7$ apples. Flour comes in $1\,\mathrm{kg}$ bags, chocolate bars are often $100\,\mathrm{g}$ , a letter needs about $20\,\mathrm{g}$ of paper, and the postman’s rule “under $20\,\mathrm{g}$ , one stamp” is a mass rule.

Read in context →

Examples

Related terms