Bill Nye Gravity – 25 Points
Name ______________________________________________
Science ______
1) Explain why gravity is a force.
2) _____ Which definition best defines gravity?
A) Gravity is the attractive force between any two objects.
B) Gravity is the pull toward the center of the earth.
3) Inertia is the resistance of an object to a change in its state of motion. Which object has more inertia?
Circle your answer.
4) On earth, a falling apple and bowling ball would both accelerate at _________ meters/second/second.
5) Newton said that: Force = mass x acceleration. Which object has more force acting on it? Circle it.
(Which object has more weight?)
6) Mr. Galilei dropped 2 cannon balls from the tower of Pisa. What was his first name?
7) David R. Scott showed that a feather and a hammer accelerate at the same rate. Why won’t this experiment
work well on earth?
8) Yes
No
Is there any air on the moon?
9) Yes
No
Does the moon have gravity?
10) Yes
No
Is the moon falling? (Is earth’s gravity accelerating the moon toward us?)
11) ____________________________ = mass x g
12) What would you weigh in deep space where the gravitational force is zero? _____ Newtons
13) Why aren’t we pulled off the surface of our planet if the sun’s gravity is greater than earth’s gravity?
Bill Nye Gravity – 25 Points
14) Which arrow represents inertia and momentum? Which arrow is centripetal force? Label each arrow
appropriately.
15) The sun pulls on the earth and the earth pulls back. What is true according to Newton’s 3rd Law?
16) Gravity depends on the _______________ of objects and the ________________ between them.
17) After jumping from an airplane, there is no more net force once the lift force =
Inertia
Mass
Thrust force
Weight force
18) What happens to the falling speed once there is no net force? (Lift = weight)
19) Why would you weigh 2.5 times more on Jupiter?
20) What would be different if you stood on the moon?
Mass
Weight
21) Planets are round, but smaller celestial bodies like asteroids are not. Why are asteroids lumpy?
22-25) The acceleration due to gravity on earth is 9.8 m/s2. How many meters will an apple fall if it accelerates
for 10 seconds? Assume air resistance does not affect the acceleration. Circle your answer and include proper
units.
Distance = 0.5 x 9.8 x t x t