Weightless but not Massless
When astronauts are in orbit they are weightless but not massless.
TESTING INVESTIGATION:
Is the measured inertial mass of an object equal to its measured gravitational mass?
TASK: Design an experiment to measure the mass of an orbiting astronaut (represented by the unknown mass). Compare this measured inertial mass to the gravitational mass of the unknown.
GIVEN: Known masses, scale, unknown mass, inertial balance, clamp, stopwatch (optional: air track, glider, light springs)
REPORT FORMAT: Include a graph and equation for the line of best fit.
Dynamics
Learning Objective 1.C.3.1: The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to measure gravitational mass and to measure inertial mass, and to distinguish between the two experiments.
Science Practice 4.2 The student can design a plan for collecting data to answer a particular scientific questions.