The classical concept of mass: theoretical difficulties and students’ definitions

An analysis of the concepts of mass in classical physics on the basis of their historical, philosophical and semantic connotations is given. A classification of the most current definitions of mass is proposed from its physical representation and topic area. The definitions of mass, and some related issues, given by several groups of secondary school students are analysed. The results seem to confirm a generalized qualitative‐teleological view of scientific concepts in contrast to the more orthodox formal‐quantitative formulation of physics.