Asked by Avery Williams
What best explains why the Moon's surface gravity is only one-sixth of Earth's surface gravity?
A. Earth is closer to the Sun, so it has much more gravity.
B. Gravity is controlled by the tides, which are much closer to Earth than the moon.
C. The moon orbits Earth faster than Earth orbits the Sun, giving the moon less gravity.
D. Gravity is the result of an object's mass and size; the Earth is much larger than the moon.
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
D.
Surface gravity depends on an object's mass and size (g = GM/R^2). The Moon has much less mass (≈1/81 of Earth's) and a smaller radius (≈0.27 of Earth's), which gives g_moon ≈ (1/81)/(0.27^2) ≈ 0.17 g_earth ≈ 1/6 Earth's gravity.
Surface gravity depends on an object's mass and size (g = GM/R^2). The Moon has much less mass (≈1/81 of Earth's) and a smaller radius (≈0.27 of Earth's), which gives g_moon ≈ (1/81)/(0.27^2) ≈ 0.17 g_earth ≈ 1/6 Earth's gravity.
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