Question

A group of students have just experienced a lecture in physics class about universal gravitation. The teacher closed the lesson by saying, "Remember, the quickest way to lose weight is to go to the mountains." One student does not understand why the teacher's comment about the mountains is applicable to the lesson. Which of the following statements would correctly explain why the comment is applicable to the lesson?

options:

a) When you hike up a mountain, hiking requires force to climb. Since weight is the force of gravity, exerting force up the mountain reduces the net force, decreasing your weight.

b) When you hike up a mountain, you change your distance from the center of earth. This increased distance means less weight force.

c) When you hike up a mountain, hiking converts some of your mass into momentum. The loss of mass means less weight force.

d) The teacher's comment was incorrect. Weight cannot change.

Answer 1

The teacher's statement that you can lose weight by going to the mountains relates to universal gravitation, as ascending increases distance from Earth's center, leading to a slight reduction in gravitational force and therefore weight. Therefore correct option is B

Step-by-step explanation:

To explain why the teacher's comment about losing weight by going to the mountains is applicable to the lesson on universal gravitation, we must understand that weight is the force of gravity acting on an object. This force is proportional to the mass of the object, and the strength of gravity varies with distance from the center of the Earth. As you ascend a mountain, you are farther from the Earth's center, which means the Earth's gravitational force on you is slightly weaker, hence you weigh less.

Therefore, the correct statement is (b): When you hike up a mountain, you change your distance from the center of Earth. This increased distance means less weight force. Statement (a) is incorrect because exerting force while hiking does not change the gravitational force acting on you. Statement (c) is incorrect because hiking does not convert mass into momentum; mass remains constant. Lastly, statement (d) is incorrect because weight can indeed change with varying gravitational forces.