AP Physics 1 Questions on Mass, Weight, and Gravitational Force

📚 Quick Study Guide

• ⚖️ Mass: A measure of the amount of matter in an object. It's a scalar quantity and remains constant regardless of location. Measured in kilograms (kg).
• 🍎 Weight: The force of gravity acting on an object's mass. It's a vector quantity and depends on the gravitational acceleration.
• 🌍 Gravitational Force: The attractive force between two objects with mass. Described by Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: $F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}$, where $G$ is the gravitational constant ($6.674 × 10^{-11} Nm^2/kg^2$), $m_1$ and $m_2$ are the masses of the objects, and $r$ is the distance between their centers.
• 📐 Weight Formula: Weight ($W$) can be calculated as $W = mg$, where $m$ is the mass of the object and $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately $9.8 m/s^2$ on Earth).
• 💡 Mass vs. Weight: Mass is an intrinsic property of an object, while weight is a force that depends on gravity. An object's mass remains the same on the Moon, but its weight is less due to the Moon's weaker gravitational field.

🧪 Practice Quiz

1. Question 1: What is the SI unit of mass?
   1. A) Newton (N)
   2. B) Kilogram (kg)
   3. C) Meter (m)
   4. D) Second (s)
2. Question 2: Which of the following statements is true about mass?
   1. A) Mass is a force.
   2. B) Mass changes depending on location.
   3. C) Mass is a scalar quantity.
   4. D) Mass is measured in Newtons.
3. Question 3: What is the formula for calculating weight?
   1. A) $W = \frac{m}{g}$
   2. B) $W = mg$
   3. C) $W = \frac{g}{m}$
   4. D) $W = m + g$
4. Question 4: An object has a mass of 10 kg. What is its approximate weight on Earth (assuming $g = 9.8 m/s^2$)?
   1. A) 9.8 N
   2. B) 10 N
   3. C) 98 N
   4. D) 100 N
5. Question 5: According to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, how does the gravitational force change if the distance between two objects doubles?
   1. A) It doubles.
   2. B) It halves.
   3. C) It quadruples.
   4. D) It is reduced to one-fourth.
6. Question 6: What happens to an object's mass if it is moved from Earth to the Moon?
   1. A) It increases.
   2. B) It decreases.
   3. C) It remains the same.
   4. D) It becomes zero.
7. Question 7: Two objects of mass $m_1$ and $m_2$ are separated by a distance $r$. If the mass of each object is doubled, what happens to the gravitational force between them?
   1. A) It doubles.
   2. B) It halves.
   3. C) It quadruples.
   4. D) It remains the same.