Space Weight Lab

S8P3. Students will investigate relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects.
b. Demonstrate the effect of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object in terms of gravity, inertia, and friction.
S8P5. Students will recognize characteristics of gravity and that it is a major kind of force acting in nature.
a. Recognize that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force exerted depends on how much mass the objects have and
how far apart they are.

Gravity is the force that attracts an object to another object. Your weight on earth is an
effect of the Earth’s gravity on your body. Did you know that the force of gravity is different on other
planets and the moon (celestial bodies)?

The change of your weight on different celestial bodies is due to the different masses of the
celestial bodies. Gravity is a force that depends on the amount of mass between two objects and the
distance between them. This means that an object with more mass or an object that is closer to you will
exert a larger amount of gravity on you than a smaller object that is farther away. Even though the sun is
bigger (has more mass) than the earth, the earth’s gravity pulls on you more because you are closer to it.

When we measure the force of gravity, we measure weight. Weight is the amount of force that
something pushes downward due to gravity. To find this force, you use the equation, F=ma, where (m)
is the mass of the object and (a) is its acceleration due to gravity. On earth, the acceleration due to
gravity is 9.8m/s2. So, if you want to find the weight of an object with a mass of 10 kg on earth, you
would do the following:

Force = Mass x Acceleration

Force = 10 kg x 9.8 m/s2

Force = 98 kg x m/s2 or 98 N

The N stands for Newton and was named after Isaac Newton, the man who discovered the
formula. It is a unit of force in the metric system just like a pound (lb) is a unit of force in our standard
system.

In this lab:

o You will measure the mass and weight of an object in the room.

o You will find its mass and weight on different celestial bodies in the solar system.

o You will graph both weight and mass on two different graphs.

o You will make sure you answer the questions at the end of the lab.

Materials:

1. Lab Report
2. Graph Paper
3. Spring Scale
4. Block of wood to weigh
Procedures:

1. Examine the spring scale and make sure that the arrow points to zero when you hold it up. If it does
not, then ask the teacher to show you how to set it correctly.

2. Take the block of wood and find the mass of it by hanging it on the spring scale.

3. Enter the mass of the block of wood in grams here: ______________________________(g).

4. Now look at the side of the spring scale that reads N. This tells you the weight of the block of wood
in Newtons.

5. Enter the weight of the block of wood in Newtons here: ______________________(N).

6. Using the information from the front of this sheet and what you know about mass and weight fill in
the following information in the data table.

Weight on
Celestial Body (N)

7. Create two graphs using the graph paper and the data above. The first graph should show the mass of
your object on each celestial body in grams and the second should show the weight of your object on
each celestial body in Newtons. The planets will be your independent variable and will be placed on
your x-axis.

STAPLE THE GRAPHS TO THIS LAB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Questions:

1. Why does the mass of your object stay the same no matter where it is in the solar system?

2. What causes the weight of the object to change on different celestial bodies? Use the words mass
and gravity correctly in your answer.

3. Looking at the graph of the weight of your object on different celestial bodies, which celestial body
would have the most mass?

4. Looking at the graph of the weight of your object on different celestial bodies, which celestial body
would have the smallest mass?

5. a. On which celestial body would objects fall the fastest?

b. On which celestial body would objects fall the slowest?

6. What is mass?

7. What is weight?

Fill in the blanks with the following words: mass, gravitational, distance, force

8. The amount of __________________ ___________________ two objects feel depends on their

________________ and the __________________ between the center of them.

9. A large ___________________ and a small ____________________ would mean a LARGE

_____________________ _____________________.