On a given planet, the weight of an object varies directly with the mass of the object. Suppose that an object whose mass is 5kg weight 20N Calculate the mass of another object that weighs 12N.
Let's denote the mass of the second object as x kg.
According to the problem, we have the following relationship:
weight = mass * k,
where k is the constant of proportionality.
Using the given information, we can form an equation for the first object:
20N = 5kg * k.
To find k, we divide both sides of the equation by 5kg:
k = 20N / 5kg = 4N/kg.
Now, we can use this value of k to calculate the mass of the second object:
12N = x kg * 4N/kg.
To solve for x, we divide both sides of the equation by 4N/kg:
x kg = 12N / 4N/kg = 3kg.
Therefore, the mass of the other object is 3kg.