Gravitational Force Quick Check
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Question
Use the table to answer the question.
Planet Estimated Mass of Planet (1023 kg)
W 6.4
X 3.3
Y 59.7
Z 48.7
Assuming these planets were similar in radius, which planet would an object weigh the most?
on planet X
on planet Z
on planet W
on planet Y
The weight of an object is determined by the gravitational force acting on it. The greater the mass of the planet, the greater the gravitational force and therefore the greater the weight of an object.
Looking at the table, we can see that planet Y has the greatest mass (59.7 x 10^23 kg) compared to the other planets. Therefore, an object would weigh the most on planet Y.
To determine which planet an object would weigh the most on, we need to compare the masses of the planets given in the table:
The estimated masses of the planets are as follows:
- Planet W: 6.4 x 10^23 kg
- Planet X: 3.3 x 10^23 kg
- Planet Y: 59.7 x 10^23 kg
- Planet Z: 48.7 x 10^23 kg
Since the planets are assumed to have similar radii, the weight of an object depends solely on the planet's mass. The greater the mass, the greater the gravitational force and thus the greater the weight of an object.
Therefore, based on the estimated masses given in the table, the object would weigh the most on Planet Y, which has an estimated mass of 59.7 x 10^23 kg.
To determine which planet an object would weigh the most, we need to compare the gravitational forces exerted by each planet. The gravitational force between two objects depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between them. The formula for gravitational force is given by:
F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2
where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two objects.
In this case, we are comparing the gravitational forces exerted by the planets on the object, assuming the planets have similar radii. Since the radius does not affect the gravitational force, we can ignore it for this comparison.
To compare the gravitational forces, we only need to compare the masses of the planets. Looking at the table, we can see that the estimated masses of the planets are:
- Planet W: 6.4 x 10^23 kg
- Planet X: 3.3 x 10^23 kg
- Planet Y: 59.7 x 10^23 kg
- Planet Z: 48.7 x 10^23 kg
Comparing these values, we can conclude that the object would weigh the most on planet Y, as it has the highest mass among the four planets listed in the table. So the correct answer is: on planet Y.