Question

Mars' gravitational pull is 0.376 that of the Earth's. What would a person of mass 98.6 kg weigh on Mars?

Answer 1

We are given that the gravitational pull of mars is 0.376 times the gravitational pull of the earth. The gravitational pull of the earth is:

$g=9.8\frac{m}{s^2}$

Now, we determine the gravitational pull of mars:

$g_{\text{mars}}=0.376g$

Substituting the value of "g" we get:

$g_{\text{mars}}=0.376(9.8\frac{m}{s^2})$

Solving the operation we get:

$g_{\text{mars}}=3.68\frac{m}{s^2}$

Now, to determine the weight of a person we use the following formula:

$W=mg_{\text{mars}}$

Where:

$\begin{gathered} W=\text{ weight} \\ m=\text{ mass} \end{gathered}$

Substituting the values we get:

$W=(98.6\operatorname{kg})(3.68\frac{m}{s^2})$

Solving the operation we get:

$W=363.32N$

Therefore, the weight of the person on mars is 363.32 Newtons.