Question

The acceleration due to gravity on the moon is approximately one-sixth the gravitational acceleration near the Earth's surface. If a rock is transported from the Earth to the moon which of the following will occur?

a. The mass of the rock will increase as will its weight.
b. The mass of the rock will decrease as will its weight.
c. The mass of the rock will remain the same as will its weight.
d. The mass of the rock will remain the same while its weight will increase.
e. The mass of the rock will remain the same while its weight will decrease.

Answer 1

The mass of the rock will remain the same, but its weight will decrease when transported from Earth to the Moon, due to the Moon's lower gravitational acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a rock is transported from the Earth to the moon, the correct occurrence would be: e. The mass of the rock will remain the same while its weight will decrease. This is because mass is an intrinsic property of the object and does not change based on location. However, weight is a force that depends on both mass and the acceleration due to gravity. On the Moon, the acceleration due to gravity is only about 1.625 m/s², which is much less than the acceleration due to gravity on Earth, 9.80 m/s². Therefore, despite the mass remaining constant, the weight of the rock will be less on the Moon.