Question

A rock on earth has a mass of 750kg and a weight of 7,350 N. If the rock is taken into outer space, how will it’s mass and weight be affected

Answer 1

Mass: 750 kg, weight : 0

Step-by-step explanation:

- The mass represents the amount of matter in an object, and it is an intrinsec property of the object: this means that its value does not depend on the location of the object. Therefore, a rock will have the same mass on earth, on Mars, in the outer space.. no matter its location. So, the mass of the rock in space is still 750 kg.

- The weight of an object corresponds to the gravitational force exerted on the object by the surrounding gravitational field.

On earth, the weight of an object is given by

`W=mg`

where m is the mass and g is the gravitational acceleration, whose value on earth is g=9.81 m/s^2.

In space, there is no gravity (assuming we are far enough from any other celestial object): since there is no gravitational field, g=0, so the weight of the object is also zero.