Question

galileo came up with an experiment. he would drop a pair of cannonballs from the top of the famous leaning tower of pisa. one ball was twice as heavy as the other. if his hypothesis was correct, both cannonballs would hit the ground at the same time. if weight did influence the speed of falling objects, the heavier one would hit first. when he dropped the cannonballs, they always hit the ground together. galileo concluded that gravity is a constant based on the experiment results: weight doesn’t change the speed at which objects fall. future scientists would design experiments using galileo’s method to test their ideas. we now call it the scientific method! which of the following best describes galileo’s conclusion about how weight affects gravity? a) no matter the weight of an object, gravity remains constant. b) heavier objects will increase the value of gravity. c) objects that are the same weight as a cannonball have zero gravity. d) with any two similar sized objects, one will have double the gravity of the other.

Explanation:

Galileo's experiment with cannonballs of different weights (one twice as heavy as the other) showed that both hit the ground at the same time. This means weight does not affect the acceleration due to gravity (the rate at which objects fall). Option A states "No matter the weight of an object, gravity remains constant" (in terms of its effect on the acceleration of falling objects, i.e., all objects fall with the same acceleration due to gravity near the Earth's surface, ignoring air resistance). Option B is incorrect because heavier objects don't increase the value of gravity (gravity's strength is a constant near the surface for free - falling objects). Option C is incorrect as the experiment was about different weights, not same weights, and gravity acts on all objects. Option D is incorrect as the experiment showed gravity's effect (acceleration) is the same for different weights, not that one has double the gravity.

Answer:

A. No matter the weight of an object, gravity remains constant.