Weight vs. Mass - ScienceKid.org

You weigh less on the Moon but you are not smaller. Mass and weight are not the same thing — one is what you are made of, the other is how hard gravity pulls on you. Get these two concepts straight and the rest of physics becomes much clearer.

30 XP

Reward

10

Questions

5–10 min

Time

Q1 Question 1 of 10

What is mass?

The force of gravity pulling an object downward The amount of matter in an object — an intrinsic property that stays the same everywhere The volume an object occupies How heavy an object feels when you lift it

Q2 Question 2 of 10

What is weight?

The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms The gravitational force acting on a mass, measured in newtons The density of an object multiplied by its volume How fast an object falls through air

Q3 Question 3 of 10

A student has a mass of 60 kg on Earth. What is their mass on the Moon?

10 kg — the Moon's gravity is one-sixth of Earth's 360 kg — the Moon pulls harder on distant objects 60 kg — mass does not change with location 0 kg — you are weightless on the Moon

Q4 Question 4 of 10

Earth's gravitational field strength at the surface is approximately 9.8 N/kg. What does this mean?

Objects fall at a speed of 9.8 metres per second, always Every kilogram of mass experiences a gravitational force of 9.8 N downward 9.8 kg of force acts on every object regardless of mass Only objects heavier than 9.8 kg are affected by gravity

Q5 Question 5 of 10

A student weighs 600 N on Earth (g = 10 N/kg for simplicity). What is their weight on the Moon, where g ≈ 1.6 N/kg?

600 N — weight doesn't change 10 N 96 N 3,750 N

Q6 Question 6 of 10

An astronaut is in deep space, far from any planet, floating freely. Which of the following is true?

Both mass and weight are zero Their mass is unchanged but their weight is effectively zero Their weight is unchanged but their mass decreases Both mass and weight stay the same as on Earth

Q7 Question 7 of 10

On Jupiter, g ≈ 25 N/kg. A rock with a mass of 4 kg is taken to Jupiter. What is its weight there?

4 N 29 N 100 N 6.25 N

Q8 Question 8 of 10

In everyday language, people say 'I weigh 70 kilograms.' What is scientifically wrong with this statement?

Nothing — weight and mass are the same thing 70 kg is a mass, not a weight — weight should be measured in newtons (about 686 N for 70 kg on Earth) Weight should be measured in joules, not kilograms or newtons The statement is wrong because weight can only be measured in space

Q9 Question 9 of 10

Why can Olympic high jumpers jump higher on the Moon than on Earth?

Muscles work harder in lower gravity environments The Moon has no air resistance to push them back down The Moon's weaker gravity exerts less downward force, so the same muscle force produces greater upward acceleration The Moon's surface is springier, storing more elastic potential energy

Q10 Question 10 of 10

An astronaut feels 'weightless' inside the International Space Station orbiting Earth. Is there actually no gravity acting on them?

Yes — at the ISS's altitude, Earth's gravity has almost disappeared No — gravity is still about 90% as strong as at Earth's surface; they feel weightless because they and the station are both in free fall together Yes — the ISS uses engines to cancel out gravity No — the station generates its own antigravity field to protect the crew

Report a Problem