For this activity, students will be using a chart to compute their weight on different planets and the sun. Students also need a scale to measure their current weight. If you teach students for whom weight is a sensitive subject, modify the activity so that it focuses on the weight of a car, for example, or some other object. Alternatively, students might complete the assignment at home for extra credit.
Gravity is a universal, natural force that attracts objects to each other.
Originally defined by Isaac Newton and later redefined by Albert Einstein, gravity is basically the natural force of attraction between two objects. Gravity is the pull toward the center of an object, for example a planet or a moon. When you weigh yourself, you are measuring the amount of gravitational attraction exerted on you by Earth. The moon has a weaker gravitational attraction than the Earth, so you should weigh less on the moon. Isaac Newton showed that the planets do not fly off into space because the gravitational attraction between the sun and each planet hold them close to each other.