Question

As an astronaut travels far away from earth, her weight.

a. Decrease because gravity decreases.
b. Decreases because the mass decreases.
c. Increases because gravity increases.
d. Remains the same because her mass remains the same.

Answer 1

Decrease because gravity decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to second law of motion, the weight of an object is given by the product of its mass and its acceleration.

i.e. W = m g

g is acceleration due to gravity. Here, g = 10 m/s²

Mass of an object remains constant everywhere while its weight varies. We know that g on the surface is given by :

`g=(GM)/(d^2)`

As distance increases, the value of g decreases. As a result, the weight of an astronaut decreases.

So, the correct option is (a) "Decrease because gravity decreases".

Answer 2

option a. decreases because gravity decreases.

Remebmer that the weight is the product of the mass time gravity.

Mass does not change. Gravity decreases as the distance to the center of the earth decreases.