LAB 07 - GRAVITY

GRAVITY

The mass of an object is the same, no matter where the object is.  Mass measures the inertia of an object, so it is related to the object’s total number of atoms.  But if an object were to travel to another planet, the gravitational pull on that object could be more or less, corresponding to a change in WEIGHT of the object. However, it’s mass will remain the same regardless of where it is in the universe.  Isaac Newton's universal law of gravitation provided the key to understanding the surface gravity of other worlds.  

There's a lot of information that can be found in this table.  One of the key items is Surface Gravity. The values in this column are compared to Earth. On Earth, we say the gravity is 1 G.  So, according to the table, the gravity on Mercury is 0.38 G, or 38% of the Earth's gravity.  A person who weighs 175 lbs on Earth would weigh 0.38 x 175 lbs = 66.5 lbs on Mercury.  Their mass on Mercury would be same as on Earth, but their weight (which is defined by the pull of gravity) would be different. 

Consult the table above to answer the questions below.