Why does a feather fall at the same rate as a hammer on the Moon?

To calculate an object's weight, we have weight = mass * gravitational field strength (W = mg). From this, we see that an object with a greater mass (e.g. a hammer compared with a feather) has a greater weight, and since weight is the force that causes falling, we might expect that it will fall faster.
However, this does not happen. If we want to work out the acceleration of an object, we use Newton's second law, force = mass * acceleration (F = ma). Since weight is the force acting on the hammer or feather, we can equate our expression for the weight, mg, to ma:
ma = mg
We can then divide both sides of this equation by m, yielding
a = g
And therefore, the acceleration a doesn't depend on m, the object's mass. For this reason, a hammer and a feather will fall with the same acceleration on the Moon, as long as there are no other forces.

JT

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

If a wire loop moves at constant speed into a region where there is a magnetic field, why is a current induced in the wire?


What are the postulates of special relativity?


Where does the formula for gravitational potential come from? Why the minus sign?


Newton's Law of Gravitation states: F=GMm/r^2, where G is the gravitational constant (6.67×10−11m^3kg^−1s^−2). Kepler's Third Law, states t^2=kR^3. The mass of the sun is 1.99x10^30kg. Find the value of k and its units