Unit 3, Introduction to Forces

Name_______________________________
Lab 1, Gravitational Force and Mass Date__________________Period________

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

DiscussionQuestionsWriteyouranswerstothefollowingquestionsonaseparatesheetofpaper.
Describeandanalyzeyourgraph.Writeaspecificmathematicalstatementwhichdescribestherelationship
betweenmassandgravitationalforce.Whatistheslopeofyourgraph?Whatisthephysicalsignificanceof
thisslope?
Readthearticleonthebottomofthissheetandthenanswerthefollowingquestions.
Explainwhatwouldhappentoyourdataifyouweretotakethesameequipmenttothemoonandperform
theexperiment?
Manyunitconversiontablescontainthefollowingconversion:1kg=2.2pounds.Explainwhatiswrong
withthisequation.Writeastatementthatincludestheterms1kgand2.2poundsthatiscorrect.
ItiscommonplacetofindstatementsonfoodcanssuchasNetWeight:16oz.(454g)Whydomost
peoplefindthisacceptable?Whydophysicstypesobjecttosuchstatements?
Carefullyexaminethespringscalewhichiscalibratedingrams.Puta500gobjectonthisscale.Isthe
readingcorrect?Whatwouldthescalereadifyouweretoputthesame500gobjectonitonthemoon?Is
thereanythingwrongwiththisscale?Explain.
Whenyougotothedoctorsofficeyousteponabalance,whichintheU.S.istypicallycalibratedin
pounds.Isthisacorrectunitforsuchabalance?Whatwouldhappentothereadingonthisdeviceifyou
weretostandonitwhileonthemoon?Isthiswhatthescaleshouldread?

What are Mass and Weight?

Whichdoorishardertoopen:aonemeterthickaluminumoneoranirononethesamesize?Easy.Theiron
doorismuchhardertoopen.Butwhyisithardertoopen?Isithardertoopenbecauseitweighsmore?No.
Theirondoorishardertoopenbecauseithasmoremass.Thetermsmassandweightareused
interchangeablyineverydayconversation,buttechnicallytheyareverydifferent.Massisameasureofan
object'sinertia,orresistancetohavingitsmotionchanged.Themassofanobjectdependsonthenumber
andkindsofatomsitiscomposedof.Weight,ontheotherhand,isthegravitationalforcewithwhichan
objectisattractedtothecenteroftheEarth,oranyotherbody,suchasthemoon.Wewillusethesymbol
FGtodescribethisgravitationalforce,orweight.
Withthedefinitionofmassinhand,wecanreturntothedoors.Anatomofironhasmoremassthanan
atomofaluminumitsnucleushasmoreprotonsandneutrons(elementaryparticlesthatmakeupmostof
themassofanatom)thandoesthenucleusofthealuminumatom.Soassumingthatbothdoorshavethe
samenumberofatoms,theirondoorlogicallyhasgreatermassthanthealuminumone.Thatis,itismore
resistanttoachangeinmotion,andthusishardertoopen.
Asyouhavefoundinyourexperiment,theweightofanobject(morespecificallythegravitationalforceon
theobjectbytheearth)iscalculatedbymultiplyingitsmassbythestrengthofthegravitationalfieldin
whichtheobjectexists.Whereasthemassofanobjectisconstant,itsweightvariesaccordingtothe
gravitationalfieldinwhichtheobjectisplaced.Tous,weightseemsunchangingbecausetheEarth's
gravitationalfieldis,forthemostpart,constant.IfweweretoferryanobjectfromEarthtothemoon,we
wouldfindthatitsmass,whenmeasuredonthemoon,wasthesameasitwasonEarth.Butitsweight

Modeling Workshop Project 2006/STL Group-R. Rice

Unit 3, Lab 1, Introduction to Forces, v1.0

wouldbeonlyonesixthwhatitwasonEarth,becausethestrengthofthemoon'sgravitationalfieldisonly
onesixththatofEarth.Itshouldnotbesurprising,then,thataverymassiveobject,ifplacedinaplacewith
nogravitationalfield,wouldbeweightless.Forexample,asaspaceshipmovesawayfromtheEarth,the
gravitationalforcewithwhichitisattractedtotheEarththereforeitsweightdecreases.So,iftheship
weretomoveintointerstellarspace,farawayfromtheEarthoranothermassivebody,itcouldcomeclose
tohavingaweightofzero.
(AdaptedfromanarticlefromScienceDigest,February,1993)

Modeling Workshop Project 2006/STL Group-R. Rice

Unit 3, Lab 1, Introduction to Forces, v1.0