Understanding the Concepts

* Mass: A measure of the amount of matter in an object. It's a fundamental property and doesn't change with location.

* Weight: The force of gravity acting on an object's mass. It does change with location (for example, you weigh less on the moon because the gravitational pull is weaker).

Formula

Weight (W) = Mass (m) × Acceleration due to gravity (g)

Calculation

* W = 3.1 kg × 9.8 m/s²

* W = 30.38 N (Newtons)

Answer: The weight of the average physical science textbook is approximately 30.38 Newtons.