Jackie, Bella, and Sam are discussing gravity. Bella says that they would weigh less on the moon than on the Earth because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth. Sam says that their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth. Jackie says that her weight and mass would stay the same if she went to the moon.
Who is correct?
(1 point)
Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
• Jackie is correct because weight and mass do not change based on the force of gravity.
• Bella is correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth.
Sam and Bella are BOTH correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth AND their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
Jackie is correct because weight and mass do not change based on the force of gravity.
Sam and Bella are BOTH correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth AND their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
To understand why Sam is correct, we need to differentiate between weight and mass. Weight is the measure of the force of gravity acting on an object, while mass is the amount of matter in an object.
In this case, Bella's statement is incorrect because weight does depend on the force of gravity. Since the moon has less mass than the Earth, it exerts less gravitational force on objects on its surface, which means that objects will weigh less on the moon compared to the Earth. Therefore, Bella's statement that they would weigh less on the moon because the moon exerts less gravity is correct.
However, Sam's statement that their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth is also correct. Mass is an intrinsic property of an object and is independent of the force of gravity. Whether on the Earth or the moon, an object's mass remains the same.
Jackie's statement that her weight and mass would stay the same if she went to the moon is incorrect. While her mass would stay the same, her weight would actually change because weight depends on the force of gravity.
Therefore, only Sam is correct in this scenario.