Weighing in from Space
Scenarios with Newton’s Second Law
Investigate how force exists in different spaces.
Background
You may have seen people bounding around on the moon like they are feeling lighter than ever before even with weighty packs and space suits on (here’s a clip from the first space walk). You may have also seen astronauts on the International Space Station literally floating around their work living spaces (check out a video of life on the ISS here).
As we explore how things work here on Earth, we can make some pretty good assumptions that they work similarly in other places in the solar system even if we haven’t physically visited them yet. Newton’s Second Law (F=ma) is a great example of an equation we feel incredibly confident about applying no matter the location. Before we ever set foot on the moon, scientists predicted that astronauts would feel less force than here on Earth once they arrived there. As they created robots for the Martian surface, they had to do calculations (including using Newton’s second law) to ensure the robots they sent there were strong enough to survive the force or “weight” they would feel there.
With this dataset, you will be exploring the relationship between force and mass on different locations in space. Some places we have been able to take real data (moon, mars, ISS, earth) and some are theoretical (Jupiter). Though perhaps in your lifetime, they will not be theoretical any longer!
Dataset
Data from earth was gathered by using theoretical data and calculations on different locations in our solar system.
Variables
Force - this numerical variable describes the amount of pull from the mass. In our specific situation, this is sometimes described as weight. Measured in Newtons (N).
Mass - this numerical variable describes the amount of material within an object. It is not the weight. Measured in kilograms (kg).
Location - this categorical variable describes where in the solar system the data was taken (sometimes theoretically).
Activity
Make a graph of Mass on the x-axis and Force on the y-axis. Select Location for the z-axis and paste your graph below:
2. What is the relationship between the data for each location? Add a regression line for each location and group by z. Paste your new graph below:
3.List the equation for Earth only below. Change any y and x within your equation to the specific variables from the graph.
4. The unit of “Newton” is code for (m/s/s)/kg . What is the unit of your slope? What is the meaning of that unit?
5. Rewrite your equation using only variables and no numeric values:
6. List the equations for all other locations below, using specific variables (not x and y) and values.
7. Put the locations in order of lowest acceleration to highest (double click to slide the boxes) :
8. Astronauts who are located on the ISS can only do workouts such as stationary bike, and resistance bands. Discuss why traditional weight lifting is not a good idea for keeping muscle mass.
Extension: Do you have the strength to exist in other places? Find how much force you would need in your legs to walk around on Jupiter!
9. Highlight the mass of someone using known weight here on Earth (use the list below as guidance - you may select your own weight or another).
10. Use the selected mass in your equation you found for Jupiter to find the amount of force (or weight) you would feel there:
11. Use this conversion equation to turn N into lbs and see how much you would feel like you weighed if on Jupiter. Show your work for how you found the final answer.
1 newtons = 0.225 pounds
*Teachers can request an answer key through the form below.