What would you weigh on another planet?
Name: _________________
Your weight depends on the gravity exerted on your mass by the planet you stand on. If you were to stand on Mars,
you would weigh much less than on Earth. This is true for all objects with mass. Complete the tables to determine
how weight varies by planet.
1. Determine your weight (approximately) on each planet. To begin, write your mass in the column labeled mass.
Multiply your mass by gravity, write your answer under the column weight.
Planet
Mass (lbs)
Gravity
(relative to Earth)
Mercury
0.38
Venus
0.91
Earth
1.00
Moon
0.165
Mars
0.38
Jupiter
2.34
Saturn
1.06
Uranus
0.89
Weight (N)
Neptune
1.13
Pluto (dwarf planet)
0.07
2. Determine the weight (approximately) of your textbook on each planet. To begin, write the mass of your textbook in
the column labeled mass. Multiply this mass by gravity, write your answer under the column weight.
Planet
Mass (lbs)
Gravity
(relative to Earth)
Mercury
0.38
Venus
0.91
Earth
1.00
Moon
0.165
Mars
0.38
Jupiter
2.34
Saturn
1.06
Uranus
0.89
Weight (N)
Neptune
1.13
Pluto (dwarf planet)
0.07
3. Use mass bars to feel the difference in weight between your textbook on Earth (just hold your textbook) and your
textbook on Jupiter, the moon, and Pluto. Write down your observations in the table below.
Planets
Jupiter
Earth's moon
Weight
Observations
4. Explain the difference between mass and weight in your own words.
Pluto