Mass vs Weight

Question 1

Which statement best supports the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of the interacting objects?

Accepted Answer

The Earth pulls a falling apple toward its center, and the apple also pulls the Earth toward the apple, showing that gravity is attractive and that both objects’ masses affect the force.

Answer

Two objects will always move toward each other when they are close enough, regardless of how massive they are, because gravity always acts in the same direction.

Answer

If one object is much more massive than another, gravity can push the lighter object away, showing that the force can be repulsive depending on mass differences.

Answer

A small magnet placed near a metal ball causes the ball to move toward the magnet because the magnet’s larger mass pulls the ball, demonstrating gravity’s attractive nature.

Question 2

Which of the following observations provides the best evidence that gravitational interactions are attractive and that the strength of the interaction depends on the masses of the objects involved?

Accepted Answer

When a 10‑kg rock is placed near a 1‑kg ball, the ball rolls toward the rock; if the rock is replaced with a 1‑kg ball of the same size, the original ball rolls toward it much more slowly.

Answer

When a heavy object is placed near a light object, the heavy object moves away from the light object, showing that gravity pushes objects apart.

Answer

When two objects are placed the same distance apart, they both experience the same amount of gravitational force, no matter how massive each object is.

Answer

When a heavy object is placed near a light object, the light object does not move, indicating that gravity only acts on objects with large mass.

Question 3

A student claims that the weight of an object on Earth depends on its mass, and that doubling the object's mass will double its weight. Which of the following arguments best supports the student's claim? Use the relationship W = mg with g = 10 N/kg.

Accepted Answer

If a 4‑kg block has weight W = (10 N/kg)(4 kg) = 40 N, then a block with twice the mass (8 kg) has weight W = (10 N/kg)(8 kg) = 80 N, which is exactly twice 40 N.

Answer

Using W = mg with g = 10 N/kg, a 4‑kg block weighs 40 N, and an 8‑kg block weighs 4 N, which is less than the original weight.

Answer

A 4‑kg block has weight 40 N; a block with twice the mass (8 kg) has weight 40 N because weight is independent of mass.

Answer

If the mass is doubled, the weight becomes (10 N/kg)(4 kg) = 40 N, because g already accounts for mass.

Try three questions

Which statement best supports the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of the interacting objects?

Which of the following observations provides the best evidence that gravitational interactions are attractive and that the strength of the interaction depends on the masses of the objects involved?

A student claims that the weight of an object on Earth depends on its mass, and that doubling the object's mass will double its weight. Which of the following arguments best supports the student's claim? Use the relationship W = mg with g = 10 N/kg.

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