Question

Weight of body is
(a) constant
(b) not constant
(c) does not change from place to place
(d) both (a) and (c)

Answer 1

Hint: Weight of the body is directly proportional to acceleration due to gravity. Weight is maximum at poles and minimum at equator.
Formula used:-
$W=mg$
Where $W$ is weight, $m$ is mass, $g$ is acceleration due to gravity.

Complete solution:
We know that
$W=mg$
So as latitude increases acceleration due to gravity increases which causes change in weight.
Therefore we can conclude that weight is not constant.

Hence option (b) is correct.

Additional information:
Introduction of Newton’s law of motion. The development of Newton’s law of universal gravitation led to considerable development of the concept of weight.
Weight becomes fundamentally separate from mass. Mass was identified as a fundamental property of objects connected to their inertia, while weight became identified with the force of gravity on an object and therefore dependent on the context of the object. Weight is the force related when a mass is acted upon by a gravitational field and the object is not allowed to free fall, but is supported or related by a mechanical force, such as the surface of a planet. Gravity is often assumed to be the same anywhere on Earth, but it varies because the planet is not perfectly spherical. Hence weight is maximum at poles and minimum at equator.

Note:
Weight and mass are distinct quantities, the terms are after confusion with each other in everyday use. The unit of measurement for weight is that of force i.e. Newton $W=mg$ or $ma.$ Its dimensions are $ML{{T}^{-2}}$ or negative, with respect to reference it can be possible or negative. In vacuum there is no force of buoyancy therefore weight is maximum in vacuum. The apparent weight of the body is less air than in vacuum. There is no upthrust and hence no loss in weight of a body. That is why a body weighs more in a vacuum than in air.