The table shows properties of some planets in the solar system.
Property Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Neptune
Average Distance from the Sun (AU) 0.72 1.0 1.5 5.2 9.5 30
Length of Year (Earth years) 0.62 1.0 1.9 11.9 29.4 164.8
Time for One Rotation (Earth days) 243 1.0 1.03 0.41 0.44 0.67
Mass (compared to Earth) 0.80 1.0 0.1 318 95 17
Surface Gravity (compared to Earth) 0.90 1.0 0.38 2.53 1.06 1.14
Size (compared to Earth) 0.94 1.0 0.53 11.0 9.1 3.9
Average Surface Temperature (ºC) 462 14 –62 –145 –140 –214
Number of Moons 0 1 2 79 82 14
The weight of an object depends on the force of gravity acting on it. On which planet would a given object weigh the most?
(1 point)
Responses
Earth
Earth
Saturn
Saturn
Jupiter
Jupiter
Mars
Jupiter
To determine on which planet a given object would weigh the most, we need to consider the surface gravity of each planet. Surface gravity is a measure of the force of gravity at the surface of a planet.
Looking at the given table, we can see that the surface gravity of each planet is as follows:
- Venus: 0.90 times the surface gravity of Earth.
- Earth: 1.0 times the surface gravity of Earth.
- Mars: 0.38 times the surface gravity of Earth.
- Jupiter: 2.53 times the surface gravity of Earth.
- Saturn: 1.06 times the surface gravity of Earth.
- Neptune: 1.14 times the surface gravity of Earth.
Therefore, out of the given options, the planet on which a given object would weigh the most is Jupiter. Jupiter has a surface gravity that is 2.53 times that of Earth's surface gravity, making objects on Jupiter weigh significantly more compared to other planets in the solar system.