What is your weight on another planet?
Mars (NASA [public domain], Wikimedia Commons)
Mars (NASA [public domain], Wikimedia Commons)
How does this align with my curriculum?
Do you weigh the same on Jupiter as you do on Earth? Learn to calculate your weight on a different planet.
What You Need
Materials:
- Calculator
- Pencil
- Paper
- Gravitational factors from chart provided
What To Do
- Record your weight in pounds
- To calculate your "new weight," multiply your weight by each of the gravitational factors for each planet:
| Planet | Gravitational Factor | x Weight On Earth (pounds) | = Your New Weight (pounds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 0.38 | ||
| Venus | 0.91 | ||
| Earth | 1.00 | ||
| Mars | 0.38 | ||
| Jupiter | 2.54 | ||
| Saturn | 1.08 | ||
| Uranus | 0.91 | ||
| Neptune | 1.19 |
Discovery
Your weight is a measurement of the amount of pull of gravity between you and the planet you are standing on. The mass of the planet you are standing on and the distance you are standing from the centre of the planet affects your weight because the farther you are from the centre, the weaker the pull of gravity.
Gravity has a serious impact on the body. Our bodies are adapted to living with gravity, weight and the resistance to gravity we encounter on Earth. Our everyday movements on Earth help to keep our muscles and bones strong, as we are constantly working against gravity to stand up, walk, run and climb stairs. During extended periods of time in space, a person’s muscles weaken and their bones lose calcium because of the absence of gravity. Astronauts that are working in space for more than a few days must do daily resistance exercises to work their muscles in order to maintain their strength and bone mass so they can return to Earth healthy.
For more information on this topic go to Let’s Talk Science
- Why a Trip to Outer Space Could be Bad for Your Bones (STEM in Context) - Astronauts can experience bone loss in space. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how bones are formed and maintained in your body.
- Spaceflight and Bone Loss (STEM in Context) - Astronauts can experience bone loss in space. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how bones are formed and maintained in your body.
What’s happening?
Your weight is a measurement of the amount of pull of gravity between you and the planet you are standing on. The mass of the planet you are standing on and the distance you are standing from the centre of the planet affects your weight because the farther you are from the centre, the weaker the pull of gravity.
Why does it matter?
Gravity has a serious impact on the body. Our bodies are adapted to living with gravity, weight and the resistance to gravity we encounter on Earth. Our everyday movements on Earth help to keep our muscles and bones strong, as we are constantly working against gravity to stand up, walk, run and climb stairs. During extended periods of time in space, a person’s muscles weaken and their bones lose calcium because of the absence of gravity. Astronauts that are working in space for more than a few days must do daily resistance exercises to work their muscles in order to maintain their strength and bone mass so they can return to Earth healthy.
Investigate further
For more information on this topic go to Let’s Talk Science
- Why a Trip to Outer Space Could be Bad for Your Bones (STEM in Context) - Astronauts can experience bone loss in space. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how bones are formed and maintained in your body.
- Spaceflight and Bone Loss (STEM in Context) - Astronauts can experience bone loss in space. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how bones are formed and maintained in your body.