Mass vs Volume: Difference and Comparison

Every object is in a different shape and different structure and has different characters and properties. Likewise, it needs different units to measure the object.

If an object undergoes various tests and research, the first of all is to know about its character towards nature and against nature.

The second is how much space is needed in this world or how much space is covered by this particular object. For all that, the two essential things are mass and volume.

Key Takeaways

  1. Mass measures the quantity of matter in an object, while volume refers to the amount of space an object occupies.
  2. Mass remains constant regardless of location, whereas volume can change with temperature, pressure, or physical state changes.
  3. Scientists use kilograms for mass and liters or cubic meters for volume.

Mass Vs Volume

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. It is measured in units such as grams (g) or kilograms (kg) and is a scalar quantity. Volume is a measure of the amount of space occupied by an object or substance. It is measured in units such as litres (L) or cubic meters (m3).

Mass Vs Volume

The mass is dependent on volume and is just an object’s accelerated force and gives the weight of the body without gravity.

Since it needs to calculate the single things in physics just compare it to other related things to get the perfect opinion on mass. The word mass is called matter.

The volume is nothing amount of space covered by an object. Simply shows the total amount of space covered by the particular object.

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You can easily differentiate things by remembering formulas and the difference table helps you compare easily and understand easily.

Comparison Table

Parameters on ComparisonMassVolume
DefinitionMass shows the
amount of
matter in a body
of an object
Volume shows
the amount of space
covered by a body of
object
ValuePhysical valueGeometric value
SolidThe quantity of matter inside
a solid is called its mass.
The space of an object covered
is called
its volume
LiquidThe liquid of mass is the
weight of the container
the volume of container shows
volume of liquid substance that
is in inside of it
StateMass is a fixed property
of a body of an object
The volume of a
substance change as
state of the substance
SI unitKilogramCubic meter
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What is Mass?

Every substance is made from matter(atoms or molecules). Mass is nothing but how much matter is in substance. Changing the shape of an object won’t change the mass, but removing a part from the object will certainly reflect a change in mass.

Mass is a physical quantity and is calculated for its physical value, it shows the amount of matter in the body of an object. Mass is calculated in kilograms which is the Si unit of Mass.

It is a dimensionless scalar quantity and changes according to the density and volume of an object or the matter inside the object gets increased the mass also gets increased. An interesting fact is empty vacuums have no mass, but the mass is energy.

Equation
Mass=Density*Volume

The mass gets increase when the object is in motion.. but the person who measured the mass will move along with the object and can not observe the changes.

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By the equation, F=Ma force is directly proportional to mass results if external force or additional force applied results in an increase in mass.

In simple the higher the mass of a body of an object, the smaller the change produced by an external force. If the object rearranges itself, it doesn’t affect the mass.

mass

What is Volume?

Every substance occupies (takes up) some space. Volume is nothing, but it tells how much space a substance occupies. Changing the shape of an object is reflected in the amount of space occupied by the particular object.

Volume is the geometric quantity it is calculated for its geometric value, and it shows the amount of space occupied by the body of an object.

Since it is measured by the geometric value, it takes the 3 dimensions of an object and substitutes them in the formula of finding volume.

Formula:
V=l*b*h
V-volume
L-Length
B-Breath
H-height

Since it is measured by the geometric value it takes the 3 dimensions of an object and substitutes in the formula of finding volume.

The volume is measured by a unit called a cubic meter. The temperature and pressure will greatly affect the change in volume of a substance, mainly in gas substances. It is because the volume is directly proportional to temperature.

volume 1

Main Differences Between Mass and Volume

  1. Mass is the physical value of an object, and volume is the geometric value of an object.
  2. The mass is measured by a unit called kilogram, and the volume is measured by a unit called cubic meter.
  3. The mass gives the matter of an object, while volumes show the space covered by an object.
  4. The mass is a fixed property or persistent but volume changes according to substance.
  5. The empty vacuum has no mass, but it has volume where it covers some space.
  6. The Mass need two values to measure, but Volume needs three dimensions to calculate.
Difference Between Mass and Volume

Reference

  1. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02309
  2. https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/abs/10.1148/radiology.216.2.r00au14597

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About Author

Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.