Question

question
why do we weigh more on
earth than on the moon?
remember that all objects in the universe have gravity. every
object’s gravitational force is different, depending on its mass. that
means that your weight would be different on any planet or star.
if a person who weighed 150 pounds on earth stepped onto a
neutron star, he would weigh 21 trillion pounds! a neutron star is a
star that has about the same mass as our sun, but is much smaller. all
of its mass is concentrated into an area the size of san francisco. if
the 150-pound person were to set foot on phobos, a tiny moon of
mars, his weight would barely register. that’s because phobos has very
little mass, although it, too, is about the size of san francisco.
a. the chart below shows approximately how much a 150-pound
person on earth would weigh on each planet in our solar system.
use the chart to answer the questions.
mercury 57 lbs jupiter 381 lbs
venus 137 lbs saturn 140 lbs
earth 150 lbs uranus 120 lbs
mars 57 lbs neptune 180 lbs

1. on which planet would you weigh the closest to

what you weigh on earth?

1. which planet exerts the strongest gravitational force?
2. on which two planets is gravity the weakest?

b. which of the following statements are true? check all that apply.
the size of an object determines how much mass it has.
an object’s mass determines its gravitational force.
the farther a planet is from the sun, the less gravity the planet has.
the gravitational force of phobos is weaker than the gravitational force
of a neutron star.

Explanation:

Step1: Compare Earth weight to others

Earth weight = 150 lbs. Venus:137 lbs (diff=13), Saturn:140 lbs (diff=10). Saturn’s diff is smallest.

Step2: Find max weight value

Jupiter has 381 lbs, the highest weight → strongest gravity.

Step3: Find min weight values

Mercury and Mars both have 57 lbs, the lowest → weakest gravity.

Step4: Evaluate true statements

• Size≠mass (neutron star small but massive: false).
• Mass determines gravity (text states: true).
• Distance≠gravity (Neptune far but heavier than Uranus: false).
• Phobos < neutron star gravity (text states: true).

Answer:

1. Saturn
2. Jupiter
3. Mercury and Mars

B. An object’s mass determines its gravitational force; The gravitational force of Phobos is weaker than the gravitational force of a neutron star.