Weigh Me on Mars

Would you weigh more on Jupiter or on the Moon? Pick a planet, set your mass, and drop a ball from a 10 m tower to see gravity in action.

Planet
Gravity g
3.71 m/s²
Your weight
148 N
Feels like (Earth)
15.1 kg
Ball fall time
Drop it!

The maths, live

Weight W = m × gW = 40 × 3.71 = 148 N
Fall time t = √(2h ÷ g)t = √(2 × 10 ÷ 3.71) = 2.32 s

Your mass stays 40 kg everywhere. Only your weight changes!

How it works

Your mass is how much stuff you are made of, and it is the same everywhere. Your weight is the force of gravity pulling on that mass, so it changes from planet to planet.

Weight is mass times the gravitational field strength: W = m × g. On Earth g is 9.81 m/s², on the Moon only 1.62 m/s². Stronger gravity also makes things fall faster.

Try this

  1. On which planet would you weigh the most? The least?
  2. Drop the ball on Earth and then on the Moon. How many times longer does it take on the Moon?
  3. Venus is almost the same size as Earth. Is its gravity almost the same too?