Question

galileo took his questions about gravity and wrote a hypothesis he could test: if gravity is a constant force, any two objects of similar size will fall at the same rate, regardless of their respective weights.

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:

To solve this, we analyze each option based on Galileo's experiment conclusion. Galileo concluded that weight doesn't change the speed at which objects fall and gravity is constant.

• Option A: Matches the conclusion as it states gravity remains constant regardless of object weight.
• Option B: Contradicts the conclusion since the experiment showed weight doesn't affect gravity's value.
• Option C: Is incorrect; the experiment didn't suggest zero gravity for objects of cannonball weight.
• Option D: Is wrong; the experiment showed similar - sized objects fall at the same rate, so gravity isn't double for one object.

Answer:

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