What is weight?
Your weight would be very different if you lived on another planet. Assuming your size didn’t change, why would your weight change? To understand this, you have to know what the term “weight” really means.
A term that’s often confused with weight is “mass.” Mass is the amount of matter (stuff) that something is made of. Your mass wouldn’t change no matter what planet you happened to be standing on. But “weight” is not the same as mass.
Weight is a measure of the force with which gravity pulls down on your mass. So, if gravity changes, so does your weight! The gravity of a planet is determined by the size (mass) of the planet. Heavier planets exert more gravitational force than lighter planets.
What would you weigh if you visited a different planet?
To calculate your weight on different planets, multiply your weight on Earth in pounds by the “gravitation factor” in the chart below. The Moon is also included.
|
Celestial Body |
Gravitation Factor |
Your Weight |
|
Mercury |
0.38 |
|
|
Venus |
0.91 |
|
|
Moon |
0.17 |
|
|
Mars |
0.38 |
|
|
Jupiter |
2.54 |
|
|
Saturn |
1.08 |
|
|
Uranus |
0.91 |
|
|
Neptune |
1.19 |
