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?

A. Sam is correct because their mass would be the same on the moon as it is on Earth.
B. Jackie is correct because weight and mass do not change based on the force of gravity.
C. 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.
D. Bella is correct because the moon exerts less gravity than the Earth.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. 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.

Here's the reasoning:

• Bella is correct that they would weigh less on the moon compared to Earth because the moon's gravitational force is about 1/6th that of Earth's, so their weight would indeed be less.

• Sam is also correct because mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and does not change regardless of the location. Therefore, their mass would remain the same whether they are on Earth or the moon.

• Jackie's statement is incorrect because weight is the force exerted on a mass due to gravity. Since the moon has less gravity, Jackie would weigh less on the moon.

Thus, option C accurately captures both correct statements made by Sam and Bella.