Balancing Forces and Mass on Mars

[landry]

Homework Statement

THe question says 3 forces, F1,F2,F3 act on an object. The net force acting on the object is 0, so it does not move.
1.If we are now on Mars where gravity is now 3.72m/s2 will the forces still be balanced?

2. The other question asks if we were on Mars g=3.72m/s2, compared to when we wre on Earth will the mass of the object increase,decrease,stay the same.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

Answers I thought were right
1.yes
2.decrease

what do you guys think?

 

[Mindscrape]

1) How do you know that gravity isn't one of those forces? I think there are two cases to consider.

2) What is the difference between mass and weight?

 

[ogb p]

I would say that your answers are correct. The net force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration (F=ma). Since the net force is 0, this means that the mass and acceleration must be balanced. If we are on Mars, where the acceleration due to gravity is 3.72m/s2, the mass of the object would need to decrease in order to maintain a balanced force. This is because the acceleration due to gravity is directly proportional to the mass of an object (a=Gm/r^2). Therefore, on a planet with a lower acceleration due to gravity, the mass of an object must also be lower to maintain a balanced force.