Question

homework: topic 3 lesson 3 describing gravity and motion
8th grade science
name:____date:____
base your answers to questions 1 through 3 on the information below and your
knowledge of science.
observing jupiter
although galileo galilei did not invent the telescope, he made significant
advancements and refinements to the telescope in 1609. this refined telescope allowed
galileo to make observations of earths moon and the four largest moons that orbit
jupiter. presently, spacecraft and space telescopes are used to make more detailed
observations of our solar system.
some data about jupiters four largest moons are shown below in data table 1.
data table 1
1 identify which of the following statements is supported by data table 1 and your
knowledge of science.
a lo has the smallest mass compared to jupiters other moons resulting in
strong gravitational force exerted on the moon.
b europa is the furthest distance away from jupiter resulting in weak
gravitational force exerted on the moon.
c ganymede has the smallest equatorial diameter compared to jupiters other
moons resulting in a strong gravitational force exerted on the moon.
d callisto has the largest mass compared to jupiters other moons resulting in
weak gravitational force exerted on the moon.

Explanation:

• Option A: Europa has a smaller mass (\(4.80\times10^{22}\) kg) than Io (\(8.93\times10^{22}\) kg), so Io does not have the smallest mass.
• Option B: Callisto has a greater mean distance from Jupiter (\(1.88\times10^{6}\) km) than Europa (\(6.71\times10^{5}\) km), so Europa is not the furthest.
• Option C: Europa has a smaller equatorial diameter (\(3.14\times10^{3}\) km) than Ganymede (\(5.26\times10^{3}\) km), so Ganymede does not have the smallest equatorial diameter.
• Option D: Ganymede has the largest mass (\(1.48\times10^{23}\) kg) among the four moons. Callisto has a mass of \(1.08\times10^{23}\) kg. According to the law of universal gravitation \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\) (where \(F\) is the gravitational force, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(M\) is the mass of Jupiter, \(m\) is the mass of the moon, and \(r\) is the distance from Jupiter). For Callisto, although its mass (\(m\)) is relatively large compared to some moons (but smaller than Ganymede) and its distance (\(r = 1.88\times10^{6}\) km) is large. The gravitational force it experiences is weaker compared to moons like Io (which has a smaller \(r\) and a relatively smaller \(m\) compared to Ganymede but larger than Europa) and Ganymede (which has a large \(m\) but a relatively smaller \(r\) than Callisto).

Answer:

D. Callisto has the largest mass compared to Jupiter’s other moons resulting in weak gravitational force exerted on the moon.