How and why would your weight change on the moon. Would your mass change too?

Question

I am so cunfused on this subject, I have no clue!?!

Answer 1

OK, remember this: Weight is affected by gravity. Mass is not.

So, the moon is smaller and has less gravity than earth. So anything on the moon weighs less than it does on earth.

Mass, on the other hand, is the same no matter where you are. Even if you are weightless, you still have mass.

Answer 2

Your weight would be 1/6th that of the earth, so you would only weight 1/6th of your current weight. This is because the moon has 1/6th the earths gravity.

Your weight is made up of 2 factors
1. your mass
2. The gravitational force acting upon you.

since the pull on the moon is 1/6th your weight would be 1/6th.

Your mass is a constant and does not change regardless of where you are.

On earth we basically consider mass and weight to be the same, since we view our gravational pull to be 1 unit or 1G.

So weight is = to mass x gravational pull (or acceleration for you physic types)

it can get more complicated that this but basically weight is your massxgravity and mass does not change based on location.

Answer 3

Weight is caused by the effect of gravity on a mass. Thus on the Moon where the force of gravity is less you would have less weight. However, you always have the same mass regardless of where you are.

Answer 4

Weight has to do with gravitational pull. Your mass would not change, but the amount gravity on the moon is less than that on the earth, so you would weigh less.

Answer 5

Your mass would not change, but your weight would because the Moon has less gravity. Weight is just mass times gravity. Less gravity means the same mass has less weight.

Now the technical stuff.

In the imperial system, pounds measure weight but not mass. Mass is actually measured in slugs, but people without physics training have never heard of slugs. Gravitational acceleration of Earth is 32 feet per second squared, so one slug weights 32 pounds on Earth.

In the metric system, mass is measured in kilograms. Weight is measured in Newtons, but people without physics training have never heard of Newtons. Acceleration of gravity on Earth is 9.8 meters per second squared, so one kilogram weighs 9.8 Newtons.

Now the confusing part. People all over the world say that kilograms measure weight! But it is NOT SO! What they mean by saying a weight of 1 kilogram is the weight of a one kilogram mass in the gravity on Earth. What they really mean is 9.8 Newtons. When people say they weigh 100 kilograms they REALLY mean they weigh 980 Newtons. And when they say one likogram equals 2.2 pounds what the REALLY mean is 9.8 Newtons equals 2.2 pounds. But on the Moon where gravity is only 1.6 meters per second squared, the 100 kilogram mass weighs only 160 Newtons. Now the confusion starts again, because people simply refuse to say Newtons. They say kilograms instead. And they ASSUME that one kilogram is 9.8 Newtons, so that 160 Newtons is assumed to be the same as 16 kilograms. So they say that 100 kilograms only weighs 16 kilograms on the Moon. But it is all mixed up and confusing because they are mixing up weight and mass.

Answer 6

Your weight will change on the moon because of the gravitational pull on your body. There is less gravitational pull on your body, therefore you will weigh less. Your mass however will not change. Mass is the measurement of what you are composed of. Your body does not change. Just the amount of force exerted on it from gravity.

Answer 7

Weight is directly proportional to gravity. The more gravity of the planet/moon, the more you will weigh.

Mass, on the other hand, is not determined by gravity. It is determined by how much matter is in you. Which planet you go to won't take any matter out of you, so your mass will not change.
Hope I was helpful.

Answer 8

ok well first off weight is the calculation of gravity and your mass.

but mass is just mass...uneffected by gravity.

so when your on the moon you consiquentialy weigh less but you still have the same mass.

Answer 9

smaller body presents smaller gravity, therefore you would be lighter on the moon since it exerts 1/6th the gravity mass would not be effected

Answer 10

the moons mass is less than earths, thus you weigh less standing on the moon than standing here on earth