Question

Briefly explain why, although astronauts could happily bounce up and down much easier and higher on the moon despite their extremely massive spacesuits and backpacks, yet they tended to fall down often, particularly when they were moving forward and tried to stop.

Answer 1

Astronauts tend to fall down often on the moon, especially when they are moving forward and try to stop, despite the fact that they can bounce up and down much easier and higher in their spacesuits and backpacks. The lower gravitational acceleration on the moon makes it more difficult for astronauts to stop their forward motion, leading to falls.

Step-by-step explanation:

Astronauts tend to fall down often on the moon, especially when they are moving forward and try to stop, despite the fact that they can bounce up and down much easier and higher in their spacesuits and backpacks. The main reason for this is because the moon has a lower gravitational acceleration compared to Earth. On the moon, the gravitational acceleration is about 1/6 that of the Earth. This means that objects and astronauts weigh less on the moon than on Earth.

When astronauts try to stop their forward motion, they have to apply a force in the opposite direction to their velocity. Since their mass remains the same, the acceleration required to stop their motion is also the same as on Earth. However, because the moon has a lower gravitational acceleration, the net force acting on the astronaut is reduced. Consequently, it is more difficult for them to stop their forward motion on the moon, resulting in them falling down often despite the reduced weight of their spacesuits and backpacks.