What effect does increasing the mass of a planet have on the weight of an object on that planet?

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Enhance your knowledge for the ASU PHY101 Exam. Prepare with multiple choice questions, flashcards, and explanations. Get exam ready with ease!

Increasing the mass of a planet directly affects the gravitational force exerted on objects near its surface. Weight is defined as the force of gravity acting on an object's mass, which is calculated using the formula ( W = mg ), where ( W ) is weight, ( m ) is mass, and ( g ) is the acceleration due to gravity.

When the mass of the planet increases, the gravitational pull that the planet exerts also increases. This means that for an object of constant mass, the weight of that object will increase as the gravitational force increases. Therefore, if you were to stand on a planet with a greater mass than Earth, you would weigh more due to the stronger gravitational attraction.

This relationship shows that the weight of an object is not constant but varies with changes in gravitational acceleration, which in turn is influenced by the mass of the planet. To summarize, as the mass of a planet increases, the weight of an object on that planet increases because the gravitational force acting on that object grows stronger.

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