Chapter 3, Problem 41A

Is it more accurate to say that a dieting person loses mass or loses weight?

To determine

Whether it is more accurate to say that a dieting person loses more mass or it is to say that it loses weight.

Answer to Problem 41A

It is more accurate to say that dieting person loses mass.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

If the given mass of an object is $m$ , then the weight of the object will be

  $W=mg$

Where, $g=$ gravity

Now, it can be seen from above equation that the weight of an object depends on the mass of the object.

Thus, it more accurate to say that a dieting person always loses its mass and then in turn loses its weight.

Conclusion:

Hence, a dieting person loses its mass first.