Final answer:
Apparent weight changes based on the gravitational force, which can vary by location, such as Earth versus the Moon. However, mass remains constant as it is the quantity of matter within an object. When measuring on a scale, the weight changes, but the mass does not.
Step-by-step explanation:
When measuring apparent weight, what changes is the weight itself, which is the gravitational force on an object. This varies based on gravitational acceleration. However, the mass of an object, being the quantity of matter it contains, does not change regardless of location—on Earth, the Moon, or elsewhere.
Therefore, when you stand on a bathroom scale, the scale depresses and measures the force exerted by your body on the springs within the scale. This force is your weight. Scales are calibrated so that they display your mass by dividing the weight (in newtons) by the acceleration due to gravity on Earth, which is 9.80 m/s². The reading of the scale would vary if you pushed down on a nearby table while standing on it because you would be increasing the force exerted on the scale's springs, thus increasing the apparent weight reading.
On the Moon, due to its lower gravitational acceleration (1.67 m/s²), your weight would be less, but your mass would stay constant. What changes is the gravitational force you would exert on the scale (weight), and what does not change is the amount of matter in your body (mass).