All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the direction of Earth’s gravitational pull on objects near Earth?
Answer: Toward Earth’s center (downward). All objects are pulled toward the center of Earth's mass.
Flashcard 2: Which option is the best claim: A ball thrown upward slows down because ?
Answer: Gravity pulls downward, opposite the ball’s upward motion. Gravity opposes upward motion, causing deceleration.
Flashcard 3: Choose the correct prediction: If you drop a book and a pencil at the same time, what happens (ignore air)?
Answer: They hit the ground at the same time. Equal acceleration means simultaneous landing.
Flashcard 4: Identify the correct statement: Gravity is stronger closer to Earth or farther from Earth?
Answer: Stronger closer to Earth. Gravitational force decreases with distance from Earth.
Flashcard 5: Which option best describes why you do not float away from Earth’s surface?
Answer: Earth’s gravity pulls you downward toward the ground. Earth's gravity constantly pulls all objects toward its center.
Flashcard 6: Identify the best conclusion: If Earth had no gravity, what would happen to thrown objects?
Answer: They would not fall back down; they would keep moving away. Without gravity, no force would return objects to Earth.
Flashcard 7: What is the net force direction when gravity is greater than the upward support force?
Answer: Downward (toward Earth’s center). Unbalanced forces cause acceleration.
Flashcard 8: Which falls faster in a vacuum: a 1kg rock or a 5kg rock?
Answer: Neither; they fall at the same rate. Without air, all objects fall at g regardless of mass.
Flashcard 9: What happens to an object’s weight if its mass doubles while g stays constant?
Answer: Its weight doubles. Weight is proportional to mass when g is constant.
Flashcard 10: What is weight, and which force causes it near Earth?
Answer: Weight is the gravitational force pulling an object downward. Gravity causes weight by pulling objects toward Earth.
Flashcard 11: What is the direction of the gravitational force on an object near Earth?
Answer: Toward Earth’s center (downward near the surface). Gravity always points to the center of massive objects.
Flashcard 12: Which location has weaker gravity: Earth’s surface or far above Earth in space?
Answer: Far above Earth in space has weaker gravity. Distance from Earth reduces gravitational strength.
Flashcard 13: What happens to the gravitational pull between two objects when their distance increases?
Answer: It decreases (the pull becomes weaker). Gravitational force follows an inverse square law.
Flashcard 14: Identify the main reason a feather falls slower than a rock in air.
Answer: Air resistance slows the feather more. Light objects have more surface area per mass.
Flashcard 15: Which force is balanced by gravity when an object rests on a table?
Answer: The upward support (normal) force from the table. Equal and opposite forces create equilibrium.
Flashcard 16: Which statement best explains why thrown balls curve back down to the ground?
Answer: Gravity accelerates the ball downward the whole time. Constant downward force changes vertical velocity.
Flashcard 17: Which option best supports an argument that gravity acts at a distance: falling or pushing?
Answer: Falling; Earth pulls without direct contact. Objects fall without touching Earth first.
Flashcard 18: What is gravity near Earth, in one sentence, as a force acting on objects?
Answer: Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward Earth’s center. This fundamental force attracts all objects with mass.
Flashcard 19: Which quantity stays the same on Earth and the Moon: mass or weight?
Answer: Mass stays the same. Mass is intrinsic; weight depends on gravity.
Flashcard 20: Which quantity changes on Earth and the Moon because gravity differs: mass or weight?
Answer: Weight changes. Weight depends on local gravitational strength.
Flashcard 21: Which statement is correct: Gravity pulls objects up, sideways, or down toward Earth?
Answer: Down toward Earth (toward Earth’s center). Gravity is an attractive force, never repulsive.
Flashcard 22: Identify the best claim: Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones if air resistance is ignored?
Answer: No; they fall at the same rate due to gravity. Galileo proved all objects accelerate equally under gravity alone.
Flashcard 23: What is the difference between gravitational force and air resistance?
Answer: Gravity pulls downward; air resistance opposes motion through air. Gravity is always present; air resistance only exists in air.
Flashcard 24: Identify the force that causes a thrown ball to curve back down to the ground.
Answer: Gravity. The only force acting downward on a projectile is gravity.
Flashcard 25: Which option best describes why objects fall when dropped near Earth?
Answer: Earth’s gravity pulls them downward. The gravitational force acts on all objects with mass.
Flashcard 26: Which changes with location: mass or weight?
Answer: Weight changes; mass stays the same. Mass is constant, but weight varies with gravitational strength.
Flashcard 27: What is the difference between mass and weight?
Answer: Mass is amount of matter; weight is gravitational force. Mass never changes, but weight depends on gravitational pull.
Flashcard 28: What is weight in terms of gravity?
Answer: The force of gravity pulling on an object. Weight measures how strongly Earth pulls on an object's mass.
Flashcard 29: What is gravity?
Answer: A force that pulls objects with mass toward each other. It's a fundamental force between any objects that have mass.
Flashcard 30: What evidence best supports the claim that gravity acts on all objects with mass?
Answer: All dropped objects accelerate downward near Earth. Universal acceleration shows gravity affects everything equally.