Class 9 Science - Chapter Gravitation NCERT Solutions | Why is the weight of an object on the mo

Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 9th Science - Chapter Gravitation. This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Excercise ".$ex_no." , Question 2: why is the weight of an object on the moon 1 6th i....
Question 2

Why is the weight of an object on the moon 1/6th its weight on the earth?

Answer

Our weight on the moon is less than it would be on Earth due to a difference of the strength of gravity on the moon. The moon’s gravitational force is determined by the mass and the size of the moon. Since the moon has significantly less mass than the Earth, it will not pull objects toward itself as the strength that Earth will. This means that if you went to the moon you would weigh less, even though your mass stays the same; 

Let, ME = the mass of the Earth 

m = an object on the surface of the Earth  

RE = the radius of the Earth 

WE = the object on the surface of the Earth


Let, MM = mass of the moon 

 RM = radius of the moon

 WM = the object on the surface of the moon


Where, ME = 5.98 x 1024 kg, MM = 7.36 x 1022 kg
RE = 6.4 x 106 m, RM = 1.74 x 106 m
 

Therefore, weight of an object on the moon is 1/6 of its weight on the Earth.

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