Which quantity measures the amount of matter and differs from weight?

• A. Mass
• B. Volume
• C. Temperature
• D. Density

Answer: (A)

Mass is the quantity that measures how much matter something contains. It is intrinsic and does not depend on where the object is or the strength of gravity around it. That’s why mass stays the same whether you’re on Earth, the Moon, or in space. Weight, by contrast, is the gravitational force pulling on that mass, so it changes with gravity. A given mass weighs less on the Moon than on Earth, but the amount of matter is unchanged. The other options describe different properties: volume is how much space an object occupies, temperature is how hot or cold it is, and density is mass per unit volume—related to how tightly matter is packed, not the total amount of matter itself.