A person who weighs 600 newtons on Earth would weigh only 100 newtons on the Moon.
Which statement best explains why?
A.The circumference of Earth is larger than that of the Moon.
B.The density of Earth is greater than that of the Moon.
C.The mass of Earth is greater than that of the Moon.
D.The diameter of the Earth is larger than that of the Moon.
What do you think?
I will tell you if it is right or wrong.
Correct! :) good luck!
You're wrong. Mass of an object on Earth and on the Moon is the same. Mass does not change. Only the weight changes because of the different values of gravity on Earth and on the moon. I'm not sure which of the other three choices is right but it has to do something with the gravitational pull. Just definitely not C.
The correct answer is C. The mass of Earth is greater than that of the Moon.
To explain why, we need to understand the concepts of mass and weight. Mass refers to the amount of matter contained in an object, and weight is the force of gravity acting on that object.
The weight of an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the strength of the gravitational force. The formula for weight is:
Weight = Mass * Acceleration due to gravity
The acceleration due to gravity is different on Earth and the Moon. On Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2, while on the Moon, it is only about 1.6 m/s^2.
Given that the person's weight on Earth is 600 newtons, we know their weight on the Moon will be less. Using the formula above, we can determine their mass:
Weight on Earth = Mass * Acceleration due to gravity on Earth
600 newtons = Mass * 9.8 m/s^2
Now, to find the person's weight on the Moon, we can use the same formula with the acceleration due to gravity on the Moon:
Weight on Moon = Mass * Acceleration due to gravity on Moon
100 newtons = Mass * 1.6 m/s^2
From these equations, we can see that the mass of the person is the same in both cases, but the acceleration due to gravity is smaller on the Moon.
Therefore, the difference in weight is due to the lower acceleration due to gravity on the Moon, which is caused by the Moon's smaller mass compared to Earth. Hence, the correct statement is that the mass of Earth is greater than that of the Moon (option C).