1. Weight and Mass in Space

2. Have you ever thought about how much you would weigh on a different planet? Well guess what….

3. …Your weight is totally different on each of the other planets than it is here on Earth! Here’s an example....

4. On Earth… Slugger weighs 15 pounds. Let’s pretend he jumped aboard a space shuttle and took a trip to each planet….

5. On the Sun… Slugger weighs 418.5 pounds! Yikes, Slugger!! Maybe we should put you on a diet!!

6. But on the Moon… Slugger weighs only 2.55 pounds!

7. On Mercury… Slugger weighs 6 pounds.

8. On Venus… Slugger weighs 13.5 pounds.

9. On Mars… Slugger weighs 5.7 pounds. Slugger weighs 5.7 pounds.

10. On Jupiter… Slugger weighs 39.75 pounds! Slugger weighs 39.75 pounds!

11. On Saturn… Slugger weighs 17.1 pounds.

12. On Uranus… Slugger weighs 15.6 pounds. Hey, that’s pretty close to how much he weighs on Earth. I wonder why… Any ideas??

13. On Neptune… Slugger weighs 21.3 pounds.

14. Did anyone notice a pattern between the size of the planet and Slugger’s weight?

15. Slugger weighed more on everything that was larger than Earth (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Slugger weighed more on everything that was larger than Earth (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Slugger weighed less on everything that was smaller than Earth (moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars). Slugger weighed less on everything that was smaller than Earth (moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars). Hmmm….Interesting……. I wonder why?????

16. It’s all about GRAVITY… How much you weigh on a planet depends on how much gravity the planet has. How much you weigh on a planet depends on how much gravity the planet has. Gravity -the force that pulls things back down toward the planet. Gravity -the force that pulls things back down toward the planet. All planets (plus the sun and moon) have gravity, but they all have different amounts. All planets (plus the sun and moon) have gravity, but they all have different amounts.

17. GRAVITY The bigger the object, the more gravity it has….which means you weigh more on the bigger planets! The bigger the object, the more gravity it has….which means you weigh more on the bigger planets! The smaller the object, the less gravity it has….which means you weigh less on the smaller planets! The smaller the object, the less gravity it has….which means you weigh less on the smaller planets!

18. Don’t worry….You’ll get to calculate your weight on all the other planets for homework tonight. But before we do that…. There is one more thing to learn!!

19. Mass Although Slugger’s weight changes on each planet, his mass does not. What is mass?

20. Mass Mass is the amount of “stuff” in something. Mass is the amount of “stuff” in something. Mass is what an object is made up of. Mass is what an object is made up of. For example, Slugger has 4 legs on Earth. When he visits all the other planets, he will still have 4 legs, right? His mass will stay the same no matter what planet he visits. Visiting another planet doesn’t affect Slugger’s mass (His body won’t change shape!) For example, Slugger has 4 legs on Earth. When he visits all the other planets, he will still have 4 legs, right? His mass will stay the same no matter what planet he visits. Visiting another planet doesn’t affect Slugger’s mass (His body won’t change shape!) That’s the big difference between weight and mass: An object’s weight will change on the different planets (because of gravity), but the mass of the object stays the same. That’s the big difference between weight and mass: An object’s weight will change on the different planets (because of gravity), but the mass of the object stays the same.

21. Turn to your neighbor…. And talk about the difference between weight and mass! (Which one will change in space, and which one won’t?)

22. Before you get your homework… Let’s practice first by using a calculator to find your weight on the moon! 1) Enter your weight. 2) Multiply your weight by.17 (Don’t forget to put the decimal point first!) 3) Press equal…. 4) That’s how much you weigh on the moon!