Jackie, Bella, and Sam are discussing gravity. Bella says that they would weigh less on the moon than on the Earth because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth. Sam says that their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth. Jackie says that her weight and mass would stay the same if she went to the moon.

Question

Who is correct?

(1 point)
Responses

Sam and Bella are BOTH correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth AND their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
Sam and Bella are BOTH correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth AND their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.

Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.

Jackie is correct because weight and mass do not change based on the force of gravity.
Jackie is correct because weight and mass do not change based on the force

Answer 1

The correct response is:

Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.

To explain further:

• Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and remains constant regardless of location.
• Weight, however, is the force exerted by gravity on an object and depends on the local gravitational field strength. Since the moon’s gravity is weaker than Earth's, Jackie is incorrect. If they went to the moon, they would weigh less there.
• Bella is also correct in stating that they would weigh less on the moon due to the lower gravity.

So while Sam is correct about mass, Bella is correct about weight, but Jackie is incorrect about both. Thus, the best answer reflects only Sam’s correctness regarding mass.