Your Weight on Other Planets
Did you know that your weight on another planet would be different than your weight on Earth?
| Have you ever noticed how easy it is for astronauts to jump while they are on the moon? Why can they jump four times higher on the moon than on the Earth? Well, the reason for this is gravity. Gravity is the force which pulls everything to the center of that planet or moon. The Earth is larger than the moon and has more gravity, and the moon, which is much smaller than the Earth, naturally has less gravity. Usually, the bigger the planet, the more gravity it has. There is , however, one planet that is an exception to this rule. See if you can figure it out as we move along. |
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To understand about gravity a little better, think about a person who weighs 100 pounds on Earth. That same person would weigh about 16.6 pounds on the moon. Imagine how high you could jump if your muscles were use to the gravity on Earth and there was less of a force holding you down. You'd probably set all kinds of Olympic records. |
| There's a way to figure out what your weight would be on other planets. All you need to know is the relative gravities of the other planets or moons. For example, the relative gravity of our moon is .166. All you have to do is multiply your weight times .166 and that will tell you your weight on the moon. |
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Now, let's pretend you weigh eighty pounds. You must multiply 80 X .166 to find how much you would weigh on the moon. To do this we will need help from the calculator on this computer. |
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To
find the calculator on this computer, follow these directions very
carefully: |
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The calculator should appear in the upper left hand corner of this page. But anytime you click the mouse, the calculator may disappear. But don't worry, it's at the bottom of the page (minimized), waiting to be used later.
Now, type 80 X .166 = ? on your calculator. The answer should be your weight. 80 X .166 = 13.28, so your weight on the moon is 13.28 pounds. That's all there is to it. Just multiply your weight times the planet's relative gravity.
Here is a list of the relative gravities of the planets in our solar system:
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1. Mercury =
.38
2. Venus = .90 3. Mars = .38 4. Jupiter = 2.87 |
5. Saturn =
1.32
6. Uranus = .93 7. Neptune = 1.23 8. Pluto = .07 |
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Now calculate how much you would weigh on the other planets. Use 100 pounds as your weight, and find the relative gravity of the planet. We'll do Mercury together. Please write a math equation along with your answer.
1. Mercury = 100 X .38 = 38 pounds
Assignment: Find your weight on the eight planets listed above, and write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. Show all of your work. Show your work by writing math equations like Mercury = 100 X .38 = 38 pounds. Don’t forget to label your answers. You may use the calculator on this computer to solve your problems.
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Once your are finished finding your weight on the other planets, answer these questions in complete sentences. |
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9. On what two planets would you weigh the same. 10. On what planet would you weigh the most? 11. On which planet would you weigh the least? 12. On which planet should you weigh more than on Earth, but don't? |
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