Question

comprehension questions
answer the questions below based on the
article about which falls faster.

1. the planet mars has two moons named phobos and deimos. the mass of mars is about 1/3

the mass of earth. how do you predict the gravitational pull of mars on its two moons will be
different than the gravitational pull of earth on our moon?
the gravitational pull of mars will be different than that of earth in...

1. the time it takes for a moon to rotate around a planet is called a period. a moon that is

closer to a planet will feel a stronger pull of gravity than one that is further away. based on
the data table below, which moon is closer to mars? why?
the moon that is closer to mars is...
i know this because...

1. the time it takes a planet to rotate around the sun is also called a period. place the planets

in the data table below in order from closest to furthest from the sun. explain how your
knowledge of gravity helped you.
the order of these planets (closest to
furthest) is...
my knowledge of gravity was helpful
because...

1. explain the difference between mass and weight.

the difference between mass and weight is...

1. predict what might happen if the sun lost some of its mass.

if the sun were to lose some of its mass...

Explanation:

1. Gravitational Pull Comparison:

• Gravitational pull depends on mass. Since Mars has \( \frac{1}{3} \) the mass of Earth, its gravitational pull on its moons will be weaker than Earth's pull on our Moon.

1. Moon Closer to Mars:

• A moon closer to a planet has a shorter orbital period. Phobos has a shorter period (\( 7.66 \) hours vs. \( 30.35 \) hours for Deimos), so Phobos is closer.

1. Planet Order from Sun:

• Planets closer to the Sun have shorter orbital periods. Using this, the order from closest to furthest is Mars (\( 2 \) years), Jupiter (\( 12 \) years), Saturn (\( 29 \) years), Neptune (\( 165 \) years). Gravity knowledge helps as closer planets experience stronger solar gravity, resulting in shorter periods.

1. Mass vs. Weight:

• Mass is the amount of matter (\( kg \)), constant. Weight (\( N \)) is \( mass\times gravity \), varies with gravitational field.

1. Sun Losing Mass:

• Gravitational pull on planets would weaken. Planets might move to larger orbits (longer periods) or escape the solar system.

Answer:

1. The gravitational pull of Mars will be weaker.
2. Phobos; it has a shorter orbital period.
3. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune; closer planets have shorter periods due to stronger solar gravity.
4. Mass (\( kg \)) is matter (constant), weight (\( N = mass\times gravity \)) varies with gravity.
5. Planets might move to larger orbits or escape.