Final answer:
Unattended objects receive less weight compared to attended objects because weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. When an object is unattended, there is no external force acting on it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true. Unattended objects receive less weight compared to attended objects. This is because weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. When an object is unattended, there is no external force acting on it, so its weight is solely determined by the gravitational force exerted by the Earth or any other celestial body it is on. However, when an object is attended, for example, by placing it on a balance scale, an external force is applied to balance its weight. This can be seen in the example of placing a book on a balance scale balanced by a 1-kg iron weight. The force of the weight of the book is balanced by the force of the 1-kg weight on the opposite side of the balance.