To determine how much less force a vacationer would apply to their joints when walking on Mars compared to when they are walking on Earth, we can use the ratio of gravitational accelerations.
- Gravitational acceleration on Earth (g_E) = 9.8 m/s²
- Gravitational acceleration on Mars (g_M) = 3.7 m/s²
The ratio of the gravitational force (which is proportional to weight) experienced on Mars compared to Earth is as follows:
\[ \text{Force ratio} = \frac{g_E}{g_M} = \frac{9.8 , \text{m/s}^2}{3.7 , \text{m/s}^2} \]
Calculating this gives:
\[ \text{Force ratio} \approx 2.65 \]
This means that a person would experience about 2.65 times less gravitational force on Mars than on Earth, or in simpler terms, they would be applying approximately 2.6 times less force on their joints when walking on Mars compared to Earth.
Thus, the correct response is:
2.6 times less force.
1 answer