Question

In the absence of air resistance, if an object were to fall freely near the surface of the moon:

a) It would fall faster than on Earth
b) It would fall slower than on Earth
c) It would fall at the same rate as on Earth
d) It would not fall at all

Answer 1

Without air resistance, an object would fall slower on the moon compared to Earth due to the moon's weaker gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the absence of air resistance, if an object were to fall freely near the surface of the moon, it would fall slower than on Earth. This is because the acceleration due to gravity on the moon is only about 1/6th as strong as that on Earth. Air resistance, which opposes the motion of an object through the air, is absent on the moon, so all objects would fall with the moon's lower constant acceleration regardless of their mass or surface area. On Earth, air resistance can cause lighter objects with greater surface areas to fall slower than heavier objects of the same size. However, in a vacuum or where air resistance can be neglected, objects fall at the same rate regardless of their mass, as observed by Galileo Galilei.