Final answer:
To find the mass of Mars, you would typically use the formula F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2 in connection with Newton's second law (F = m * a). However, the mass of Mars is already provided as 6.418 × 10^{23} kg, so you do not need to calculate it. Instead, you can use these values to confirm the gravitational acceleration given as 3.71 m/s^2.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the mass of Mars using Newton's second law, you can also use Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. The formula for the gravitational force between two masses (Newton's law of universal gravitation) is F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the gravitational force between the two masses, G is the gravitational constant (6.67 × 10^{-11} Nm^2/kg^2), m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two objects. On the surface of a planet, this force is experienced as the weight of the object.
However, you don't need to calculate the mass of Mars since it's given as 6.418 × 10^{23} kg. Instead, you can confirm it by rearranging the formula to solve for m1 (the mass of Mars), using the gravitational acceleration as 'a' in Newton's second law (F = m * a), and knowing the gravitational acceleration on Mars is 3.71 m/s^2, and the radius of Mars is 3.3895 × 10^3 km, which you convert to meters (3.3895 × 10^6 m).