To help compare different ''

orders of magnitude In a ratio scale based on powers of ten, the order of magnitude is a measure of the nearness of two figures. Two numbers are "within an order of magnitude" of each other if their ratio is between 1/10 and 10. In other words, the two numbers are wi ...

'', the following lists describe various ''

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

'' levels between 10⁻⁶⁷ kg and 10⁵² kg. The least massive thing listed here is a

graviton In theories of quantum gravity, the graviton is the hypothetical elementary particle that mediates the force of gravitational interaction. There is no complete quantum field theory of gravitons due to an outstanding mathematical problem with re ...

, and the most massive thing is the

observable universe The observable universe is a Ball (mathematics), spherical region of the universe consisting of all matter that can be observation, observed from Earth; the electromagnetic radiation from these astronomical object, objects has had time to reach t ...

. 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 another with less mass if both are subject to the same g ...

), especially if the objects are subject to the same gravitational field strength.

Units of mass

The table at right is based on the

kilogram The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (m ...

(kg), the base unit of mass in the

International System of Units The International System of Units, internationally known by the abbreviation SI (from French ), is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. It is the only system of measurement with official s ...

( SI). The kilogram is the only standard unit to include an

SI prefix The International System of Units, internationally known by the abbreviation SI (from French ), is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. It is the only system of measurement with official st ...

(''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 thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...

'' (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 10³ kg is a ''megagram'' (10⁶ g), not a *''kilokilogram''. The ''

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

'' (t) is an SI-compatible unit of mass equal to a megagram (''Mg''), or 10³ kg. The unit is in common use for masses above about 10³ kg and is often used with SI prefixes. For example, a gigagram (''Gg'') or 10⁹ g is 10³ 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 husk, 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 ...

. 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 gained by a single electron accelerating through an Voltage, electric potential difference of one volt in vacuum ...

(eV). At the atomic level, chemists use the mass of one-twelfth of a carbon-12 atom (the dalton). Astronomers use the

mass of the sun The solar mass () is a frequently used unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is approximately equal to the mass of the Sun. It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxies a ...

().

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 (symbol ''q'', sometimes ''Q'') is a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. Electric charge can be ''positive'' or ''negative''. Like charges repel each other and ...

Planck's law In physics, Planck's law (also Planck radiation 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 ...

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 particles that ...

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

Notes

External links

Mass units conversion calculator

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orders Of Magnitude (Mass)

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

Mass

Units of mass

Other units

The least massive things: below 10−24 kg

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