In a good experiment, the scientist must be able to measure the values for each variable. Weight or mass is an example of a variable that is very easy to measure. However, imagine trying to do an experiment where one of the variables is love. There is no such thing as a love-meter..
What is 'Overweight'. Overweight is a situation where an investment portfolio holds an excess amount of a particular security when compared to the security's weight in the underlying benchmark portfolio. Actively managed portfolios will make a security overweight when doing so allows the portfolio to achieve excess returns. Overweight can also refer to an investment analyst's opinion that the security will outperform its industry, its sector or the entire market.
Overweight: The term overweight is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way of saying imprecisely that someone is heavy. The other sense of overweight is more precise and designates a state between normal weight and obesity. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines overweight in terms of the BMI (the body mass index) which is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m)squared.