Question

If a baseball has a mass of 200g on Earth, how much is its mass on the Moon? How about the weight?

A. The mass on the Moon is less than 200g, and the weight is also less than on Earth.
B. The mass on the Moon is the same as on Earth, but the weight is less on the Moon.
C. The mass on the Moon is the same as on Earth, and the weight is the same on the Moon.
D. The mass on the Moon is less than 200g, but the weight is the same as on Earth.

Answer 1

The baseball's mass remains 200g on the Moon, but the weight is less because the Moon's gravitational force is about one sixth that of Earth's. The mass is unchanged while the weight decreases.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a baseball has a mass of 200g on Earth, the mass on the Moon would be the same, because mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and does not change with location. However, the weight of the baseball would be less on the Moon because weight is a measure of the gravitational force acting on an object, and the Moon's gravitational force is about one sixth that of Earth's.

Therefore, even though the baseball's mass remains a constant 200g on the Moon, the weight, which on Earth would be approximately 1.96 newtons (using the acceleration due to gravity of 9.80 m/s²), would decrease to about 0.33 newtons on the Moon (using the lunar acceleration due to gravity of 1.625 m/s²).

The correct statement regarding the baseball's mass and weight on the Moon compared to Earth is B. The mass on the Moon is the same as on Earth, but the weight is less on the Moon.