Student book, pages 14–15

Objectives
• Explain the link between gravity, mass, and weight
• Describe how your weight can be different on different planets

Overview
This lesson introduces ideas about weight and how it is different to mass.
Students often find it difficult to distinguish between the two, so it is worth
spending time talking about the use of the two words in everyday language to
bring out the issue. The weight of an object is a measure of the gravitational
force of the Earth on object, and the mass is a measure of how difficult it is to
move it, or the amount of ‘stuff’ there is in it.
Talking about the gravitational force of the Earth on objects naturally leads into
the idea that weight will be different on different planets.

Activities
• Ask students to guess the weight of bar of chocolate. They will usually give
the answer in grams. It will say that on the wrapper! Next, they write down
as many ways of measuring the weight of something that they can think of,
for example, weighing scales, spring balance, etc. Ask what the weights
would be, and again they will be in grams or kilograms.
• Establish that most weighing machines are effectively spring balances, so
they are measuring a force, the force of the Earth on the object, and this is
what we call weight, in newtons (N).
• Students find the weight of objects of different mass, and work out the link
between them using worksheet 1.4.1.
• Prepare small boxes that are sealed and labelled with the names of the
planets. In each box should be the amount of plasticine that gives the weight
as it would feel if you took an object of the same mass to each of the planets.
Use the weblink http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/ to work out the
appropriate masses. Hand around the boxes for students to feel the difference
in the weight.
• Establish from the results that the link between weight and mass on Earth is
the number 10. Emphasize that this is the link between weight and mass on
Earth, and therefore their weight might be different elsewhere, such as other
planets or the Moon. Use the worksheet 1.4.2 to consolidate their
understanding.

Extension
Students complete questions 5, 6, and 7 on worksheet 1.4.1.
Suggest reasons why your weight is different on different planets as shown on
worksheet 1.4.2.

Homework
Workbook page 10

Key words
gravity, weight, newtons, mass, kilograms, grams, matter, gravitational field,
gravitational field strength

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