Capacity and weight · Usually met around P3
Comparing weight
The side that goes down is heavier.
How to do it
Method
The side that goes down is heavier
🍎 balances 4 🧊: it weighs 4 blocks
Another way
Chain the comparisons
A > B, B > C → A > C
In full
Weight is how heavy something is. You can feel two things in your hands, but that isn't always right. A balance compares them directly: the heavier side goes down, and level means the same weight. To measure with your own unit, put the thing on one side and blocks on the other: when it balances, the number of blocks is its weight, and more blocks means heavier — as long as the blocks are all the same. You can also chain comparisons: if an apple is heavier than an orange and the orange is heavier than a pear, the apple is heavier than the pear.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
The balance is level. How many 🧊 does 🐟 weigh the same as?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 8 blocks
Level means the same weight: count the blocks, 8.
Example 2
The balance shows that 🍌 is heavier than 🍓.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: True
The lower side is heavier; level means the same weight.
Example 3
The balance is level. How many 🧊 does each ⚽ weigh?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 1 blocks
2 of them weigh 2 blocks, so each is 2 ÷ 2 = 1.
Practise it in the game →Capacity and weight · Free to start, unlimited questions, no download