Scientists discovered two new planets: planet X and planet Y. They have identical volumes, but the mass of planet X is two times greater than the mass of planet Y. If two identical space probes land on each planet, which of the following will be true?
The weight of the space probe on planet X will be greater than the weight of the space probe on planet Y.
The mass of the space probe on planet X will be greater than the mass of the space probe on planet Y.
The mass of the space probe on planet Y will be greater than the mass of the space probe on planet X.
The weight of the space probe on planet Y will be greater than the weight of the space probe on planet X.
The weight of an object is determined by the force of gravity acting on it. The formula for weight is weight = mass x gravity. Since both space probes have the same mass, the weight of the space probe is directly proportional to the gravity on each planet.
Given that the volume of both planets is identical, it can be assumed that they have the same density. Density is defined as mass divided by volume. If the mass of planet X is two times greater than the mass of planet Y, then the density of planet X is also two times greater than the density of planet Y.
Since density is equal to mass/volume, if density is greater, then mass must also be greater. Therefore, the mass of the space probe on planet X will be greater than the mass of the space probe on planet Y.
However, since both space probes have the same mass and gravity is the same for both planets, the weight of the space probe on planet X will be equal to the weight of the space probe on planet Y. Therefore, the weight of the space probe on planet X will not be greater than the weight of the space probe on planet Y, making statement 1 false.
The correct answer is: The mass of the space probe on planet X will be greater than the mass of the space probe on planet Y.