![Scales of mass](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Scales_of_mass.jpg)
To help compare different
orders of magnitude
An order of magnitude is an approximation of the logarithm of a value relative to some contextually understood reference value, usually 10, interpreted as the base of the logarithm and the representative of values of magnitude one. Logarithmic dis ...
, the following lists describe various
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
levels between 10
−59 kg and 10
52 kg. The least massive thing listed here is a
graviton
In theories of quantum gravity, the graviton is the hypothetical quantum of gravity, an elementary particle that mediates the force of gravitational interaction. There is no complete quantum field theory of gravitons due to an outstanding mathem ...
, and the most massive thing is the
observable universe
The observable universe is a ball-shaped region of the universe comprising all matter that can be observed from Earth or its space-based telescopes and exploratory probes at the present time, because the electromagnetic radiation from these obj ...
. Typically, an object having greater mass will also have greater weight (see
mass versus weight
In common usage, the mass of an object is often referred to as its weight, though these are in fact different concepts and quantities. Nevertheless, one object will always weigh more than a second object, if the first object has greater mass, and t ...
), especially if the objects are subject to the same
gravitational field strength
The gravitational constant (also known as the universal gravitational constant, the Newtonian constant of gravitation, or the Cavendish gravitational constant), denoted by the capital letter , is an empirical physical constant involved in th ...
.
Units of mass
The table at right is based on the
kilogram
The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...
(kg), the base unit of mass in the
International System of Units
The International System of Units, known by the international abbreviation SI in all languages and sometimes pleonastically as the SI system, is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. E ...
(
SI). The kilogram is the only standard unit to include an
SI prefix
The International System of Units, known by the international abbreviation SI in all languages and sometimes pleonastically as the SI system, is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. E ...
(''kilo-'') as part of its name. The ''
gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...
'' (10
−3 kg) is an SI derived unit of mass. However, the ''names'' of all SI mass units are based on ''gram'', rather than on ''kilogram''; thus 10
3 kg is a ''megagram'' (10
6 g), not a *''kilokilogram''.
The ''
tonne
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...
'' (t) is an SI-compatible unit of mass equal to a megagram (''Mg''), or 10
3 kg. The unit is in common use for masses above about 10
3 kg and is often used with SI prefixes. For example, a gigagram (''Gg'') or 10
9 g is 10
3 tonnes, commonly called a ''kilotonne''.
Other units
Other units of mass are also in use. Historical units include the
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
, the
pound, the
carat, and the
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
.
For subatomic particles, physicists use the mass equivalent to the energy represented by an
electronvolt
In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV, also written electron-volt and electron volt) is the measure of an amount of kinetic energy
In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion.
It is defi ...
(eV). At the atomic level, chemists use the mass of one-twelfth of a carbon-12 atom (the
dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), the atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
Entertainment
* Dalton (Buffyverse), minor cha ...
). Astronomers use the
mass of the sun
The solar mass () is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies and black holes. It is approximately equal to the mass ...
().
The least massive things: below 10−24 kg
Unlike other physical quantities, mass–energy does not have an ''a priori'' expected minimal quantity, or an observed basic quantum as in the case of
electric charge
Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes charged matter to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Electric charge can be ''positive'' or ''negative'' (commonly carried by protons and electrons respe ...
.
Planck's law
In physics, Planck's law describes the spectral density of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a black body in thermal equilibrium at a given temperature , when there is no net flow of matter or energy between the body and its environment.
At ...
allows for the existence of
photons
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless, so they alway ...
with arbitrarily low energies. Consequently, there can only ever be an experimental upper bound on the mass of a supposedly massless particle; in the case of the photon, this confirmed upper bound is of the order of = .
10−24 to 10−18 kg
10−18 to 10−12 kg
10−12 to 10−6 kg
10−6 to 1 kg
1 kg to 105 kg
106 to 1011 kg
1012 to 1017 kg
1018 to 1023 kg
1024 to 1029 kg
1030 to 1035 kg
1036 to 1041 kg
The most massive things: 1042 kg and greater
See also
*
Lists of astronomical objects
This is a list of lists, grouped by type of astronomical object.
Solar System
* List of Solar System objects
* List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System
* List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun
* List of So ...
Notes
External links
Mass units conversion calculator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orders Of Magnitude (Mass)
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
Mass