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I failed to include "legal for commerce" with science as specific instances where kg is used for mass and not weight.jbriggs444 said:If you are talking about bathroom scales, they are too imprecise for anyone to say whether they measure force or mass. The number that is presented could be pounds-force or it could be pounds-mass.
If you are talking about a scale that is legal for commerce, it measures mass. It is calibrated and certified to do so.
A bathroom scale is used to answer what question that people ask in everyday conversation?
"How much do you weigh?"
When you ship a package, what is asked?
"What is the weight of the package?"
The reason commerce uses mass is because it is the direct measurement used to calculate fuel costs for shipping. However, everyday usage is predominately weight. This is why the original question was asked, and why it took me a while to understand it myself. Mass and Weight are conflated because we have the same symbolic representation for two entirely different concepts.
It is the same as calling cats "cats" and birds "cats." Distinction without distinct terms leads to unnecessary confusion.