Question

Is a pound of butter on the Earth the same amount as a pound of butter on Mars? What about a kilogram of butter? Explain.

Short answer

The pound of butter will weigh less on Mars compared to the Earth. The kilogram of the butter will have the same amount of mass on Mars and Earth.

Step-by-step solution

Significance of the weight

An object’s weight is the product of that object’s mass and gravitational acceleration.

In this problem, the concept of weight compares the weight of the pound of butter on Earth and Mars

Comparison of the weight of the pound of butter on Earth and Mars

Weight is mainly dependent upon the gravitational force’s amplitude which is influenced by the mass. However, a particular object having a specific mass will weigh more due to the influence of a better gravitational field. As Mars is lesser in size than Earth and has a weaker force of gravity, the pound of butter will weigh less on Mars than on Earth.

A kilogram of butter is not the butter's weight but the mass. Here, mass does not change under ordinary conditions. Hence, the kilogram of the butter will have the same amount of mass on Mars and Earth.

Thus, the pound of butter will weigh less on Mars than on Earth. The kilogram of the butter will have the same amount of mass on Mars and Earth.