The table shows the acceleration due to gravity on four different planets. What planet is a person standing on if the person has a mass of 85.0 kg and weighs 305 N?

a
Mercury
b
Venus
c
Earth
d
Mars

1 answer

To find out which planet the person is standing on, we can use the formula for weight, which is defined as:

\[ \text{Weight} = \text{mass} \times \text{acceleration due to gravity} \]

Given:

  • Mass = 85.0 kg
  • Weight = 305 N

We can rearrange the formula to find the acceleration due to gravity (g) on that planet:

\[ g = \frac{\text{Weight}}{\text{mass}} \]

Substituting the values:

\[ g = \frac{305 , \text{N}}{85.0 , \text{kg}} \approx 3.59 , \text{m/s}^2 \]

Now we can compare this value with the known acceleration due to gravity on the four planets:

  • Mercury: approximately 3.7 m/s²
  • Venus: approximately 8.87 m/s²
  • Earth: approximately 9.81 m/s²
  • Mars: approximately 3.71 m/s²

Comparing the calculated value of approximately 3.59 m/s², it is closest to the value for Mars, which is approximately 3.71 m/s².

Thus, the person is most likely standing on:

d. Mars