I distinctly remember reading how I would weigh a different amount on the moon. This only makes sense if the pound is a unit of force.

You would weigh a different amount on the moon, but that is completely independent of how we label our units of measurement.

The pound a unit of force. It is also a unit of mass. Both units share the same name.

It's not independent because if I'm 80kg here, I'm still 80kg on the moon. Because gravity does not affect mass.

If I weigh 160lb on earth I'm told that I would weigh 26lb on the moon.

That makes sense if lb measures force because gravity affects force.

In short, this commonly shared "fact" is consistent with pounds being a unit of force, not of mass.

Or, I suppose, of lb at least sometimes being a unit of force.

If you weigh 160lb on the Earth, you also have 160lb of mass. You would weigh 26lb on the moon and still have 160lb of mass.

I don’t know how to make the point any clearer that there are two units of measurement, both with the same name.

	▲	two_handfuls 7 months ago \| parent [-]
		So how do I know which is meant in a given sentence?