NAME ____________________

Where am I…? DATE _______ PERIOD ____

The purpose of this exercise is to explore the concept of gravity, and how gravity affects mass. By the
end of the exercise, you should be acutely aware of how gravity affects the motion of objects and how
mass and weight are proportional, but not the same!

1. First, you’ll need to change your weight from pounds to Newtons! Remember that weight is a
downward FORCE, and FORCE is measured in NEWTONS (not pounds). Here’s how:

a. My weight is ______ pounds

b. My pounds weight _______ x 4.45 = ______ N

2. Next, you need to find out how many KILOGRAMS (kg) of body mass you have. Because weight
equals mass times gravity, w= mg, you’ll need to take your weight in Newtons (from #1) and
divide it by the gravity, g, on Earth, which is approximately 9.81 m/s 2. So…:
a. My weight divided by gravity = My mass in kilograms

b. ________ N  9.81 m/s2 = ________ kg

3. GREAT! Now that you know your mass, it’s of utmost importance to remember that NO MATTER
WHERE YOU ARE IN THE UNIVERSE you have the same amount of matter (called “mass”) that
makes you up…that is unless something falls off of your body…

4. Below is a table that contains places for you to insert your mass (under mass) and multiply that
times gravity of the different planets (and our moon) to find out how much you’d weigh if you
were there. You will have to use the Internet to determine the gravitational constant of the
location!

My Mass Gravity of the location My weight there

Location X =
(kg) (m/s2) (N)
Earth X =
The Moon X =
Mercury X =
Venus X =
Mars X =
Jupiter X =
Saturn X =
Uranus X =
Neptune X =
Pluto(R.I.P
X =
)
The Sun X =
 Where am I…?
5. Rank your mass from LOWEST to HIGHEST based on your location below.

6. Rank the gravities of the locations from LOWEST to HIGHEST below.

7. Rank your weights from LOWEST to HIGHEST based on your location below.

8. Which factor has the effect of changing your weight? Explain.

9. Compare and contrast “mass” and “weight” in your own words below.