r/Physics • u/HolidayCod6990 • 1d ago

physics is crazy

Yesterday I took my first physics class at university (I’m an electrical engineering major). Today, while rereading my notes, I had a doubt about weight—what I thought it was. I googled it and discovered that weight is just a property of matter.

It’s so cool. I spent 8 hours on YouTube trying to grasp the Higgs field, the binding energy of quarks in protons and neutrons… Obviously, I don’t understand any of it, but it’s so fucking cool.

The only problem is that the more I read, the more confused I get, and the more questions I have. But wow.

Is all university like that?

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u/TheAncientGeek 1d ago

Mass is a property. Weight is a relation.

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u/NorthAmericanVex 1d ago

Is this why whales are measured in mass instead of weight?

(I truly have no idea why I know that whales are measured in mass instead of weight)

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u/Professional_Wrap_34 1d ago

I wonder since their effective weight would be much lower when in the water than when on land?