Mass and weight Transitional Reasoning Practice

Questions

1. 1.

   A laboratory technician investigates the physical properties of a sealed sample of lead shot. In Procedure 1, the technician melts the sealed sample into liquid at ground level without allowing any matter to enter or escape. In Procedure 2, the sample is allowed to resolidify and is carried aboard a high-altitude aircraft where the local gravitational field strength is slightly lower than at ground level. How do the mass and weight of the lead sample compare to their original ground-level solid values at the conclusion of Procedure 1 and Procedure 2?

   • A) In Procedure 1, both mass and weight remain unchanged; in Procedure 2, mass remains unchanged while weight decreases.
   • B) In Procedure 1, both mass and weight remain unchanged; in Procedure 2, both mass and weight decrease.
   • C) In Procedure 1, mass remains unchanged while weight decreases; in Procedure 2, both mass and weight decrease.
   • D) In Procedure 1, both mass and weight decrease; in Procedure 2, mass remains unchanged while weight decreases.
2. 2.

   During a lunar mission, an astronaut measures the weight of a solid rock specimen to be 128 N where the local gravitational field strength is 1.6 N/kg. In the lunar habitat, the astronaut splits the rock into two pieces, Fragment X and Fragment Y. If Fragment X has a mass of 50 kg, what is the weight of Fragment Y when it is transported back to Earth, where the gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg?

   • A) 48 N
   • B) 490 N
   • C) 784 N
   • D) 294 N
3. 3.

   In a high-altitude atmospheric laboratory, a researcher measures the downward gravitational force acting on three precision reference masses: 2.0 kg registers 19.4 N, 4.0 kg registers 38.8 N, and 6.0 kg registers 58.2 N. The researcher needs to prepare an autonomous sensor package with a mass of 5.0 kg for an upcoming launch from this facility. Based on the experimental data, what is the local gravitational field strength at this laboratory, and what is the weight of the sensor package at this location?

   • A) 9.8 N/kg and 49.0 N
   • B) 9.7 N/kg and 5.0 N
   • C) 4.85 N/kg and 24.25 N
   • D) 9.7 N/kg and 48.5 N
4. 4.

   A stationary warehouse hoist uses a vertical cable rated for a maximum safe tension of 4900 N. The hoist supports an empty metal cradle with a mass of 140 kg, into which identical equipment boxes with a mass of 50 kg each are loaded. At this location, where the gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg, what is the maximum number of whole boxes that can be safely loaded into the cradle without exceeding the cable's tension rating?

   • A) 10 boxes
   • B) 8 boxes
   • C) 7 boxes
   • D) 95 boxes
5. 5.

   Inside an evacuated vertical test chamber, a technician simultaneously releases two solid spheres from rest: Sphere 1 with a mass of 4.0 kg and Sphere 2 with a mass of 1.0 kg. High-speed tracking instruments confirm that both spheres accelerate downward at the identical rate of 9.8 m/s². Which statement correctly explains why the two spheres experience the exact same acceleration despite having different masses?

   • A) In a vacuum, Earth exerts the exact same gravitational force on both spheres, causing them to accelerate at an identical rate regardless of their masses.
   • B) Both spheres become weightless during free fall, so the absence of a net gravitational force ensures that their downward accelerations remain identical.
   • C) Sphere 1 experiences one-fourth the gravitational pull of Sphere 2, exactly compensating for its greater inertia to produce equal downward acceleration.
   • D) The gravitational force on Sphere 1 is four times that on Sphere 2, but Sphere 1 also has four times the inertia, producing the same downward acceleration.
6. 6.

   A student investigates the mechanical properties of an automated rover's storage canister on Earth, where the gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg. The canister has a measured weight of 196 N. If the rover's horizontal actuator applies a constant net force of 60 N to push the canister along a frictionless floor, what are the canister's mass and its resulting horizontal acceleration?

   • A) Its mass is 20 kg, and its resulting horizontal acceleration is 0.31 m/s².
   • B) Its mass is 20 kg, and its resulting horizontal acceleration is 3.0 m/s².
   • C) Its mass is 196 kg, and its resulting horizontal acceleration is 0.31 m/s².
   • D) Its mass is 196 kg, and its resulting horizontal acceleration is 3.0 m/s².
7. 7.

   A student suspends a metal cylinder from a spring scale calibrated in newtons inside an elevator near Earth's surface, where the gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg. When the elevator is stationary, the scale reads 49 N. While the elevator accelerates vertically upward at 1.2 m/s², the student observes the scale reading and evaluates the mass of the cylinder. Which statement correctly identifies the new scale reading and the cylinder's mass during this acceleration?

   • A) The spring scale reads 55 N, and the mass of the cylinder remains 5.0 kg.
   • B) The spring scale reads 55 N, and the mass of the cylinder increases to 5.6 kg.
   • C) The spring scale reads 43 N, and the mass of the cylinder remains 5.0 kg.
   • D) The spring scale reads 49 N, and the mass of the cylinder increases to 5.6 kg.
8. 8.

   Aboard a spacecraft drifting in deep space where gravitational forces are negligible, an astronaut applies an identical net force of 24 N to two sealed containers, P and Q, along a frictionless track. Container P accelerates at 3.0 m/s², whereas container Q accelerates at 1.0 m/s². Based on these observations, what can be concluded regarding the mass and weight of the two containers?

   • A) Container P has three times the mass of container Q, and both containers have a weight of 24 N.
   • B) Container Q has three times the mass of container P, but its weight is greater because it resists acceleration more.
   • C) Container Q has three times the mass of container P, and both containers have a weight of zero.
   • D) Both containers have zero mass and zero weight because gravitational pull is absent in deep space.
9. 9.

   On an asteroid where the local gravitational field strength is 2.0 N/kg, an astronaut analyzes a core sample. An equal-arm balance achieves equilibrium when the sample is balanced against a 3.0 kg set of reference masses. What reading does a spring scale register when weighing this sample on the asteroid, and what is true about the sample's mass?

   • A) 1.5 N; the sample's mass has decreased because the gravitational field is weaker.
   • B) 6.0 N; the sample's mass has decreased from its value on Earth.
   • C) 30 N; the sample's mass remains 3.0 kg.
   • D) 6.0 N; the sample's mass remains 3.0 kg.
10. 10.

    A planetary rover collects a rock specimen that weighed 49 N on Earth, where the local gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg. The rover then lands on Mars, where the gravitational field strength is approximately 3.7 N/kg, and measures the specimen again. What values should the rover's instruments record on Mars for the mass and the weight of the rock specimen?

    • A) Mass = 1.9 kg, Weight = 18.5 N
    • B) Mass = 5.0 kg, Weight = 18.5 N
    • C) Mass = 5.0 kg, Weight = 49.0 N
    • D) Mass = 18.5 kg, Weight = 5.0 N

Answers and step-by-step solutions appear after you finish the test.