Garfield (weighing 24 lbs) took a flight to the moon on the space shuttle. As usual, he stuffed himself with lasagna during the entire flight and napped when he wasn't eating. Much to his delight when he got to the moon he found he weighed only 6 lbs. He immediately proclaimed a quick weight loss diet. Explain the fallacy in his reasoning. Assume gravity on the moon to be about one-sixth that of Earth.

Is it due to the gravitational pull from the moon?

Question

Chemistry

Sabrina Maddox

20 June, 10:24

Garfield (weighing 24 lbs) took a flight to the moon on the space shuttle. As usual, he stuffed himself with lasagna during the entire flight and napped when he wasn't eating. Much to his delight when he got to the moon he found he weighed only 6 lbs. He immediately proclaimed a quick weight loss diet. Explain the fallacy in his reasoning. Assume gravity on the moon to be about one-sixth that of Earth.

Is it due to the gravitational pull from the moon?

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Answers (1)

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Samson Rhodes · Answer 1

Yes, it is due to the gravitational pull from the moon

Explanation:

The mass of Garfield didn't change during the flight, which is to say, the amount of matter in his body is the same on Earth as on the Moon.

However, weight is a measurement of how strongly mass is pulled towards the ground, due to the gravitational pull.

So even though Garfield's mass is the same, the weight is less due to the lower gravitational pull from the Moon compared to Earth (the weight is one-sixth of the original weight as gravity on the moon is about one-sixth of Earth's). When Garfield returns to Earth, the scale will still read 24 lbs.