Grade 5 MysteryScience-Why is Gravity Different on Other Planets

Mikaela is a skydiver. She jumps out of airplanes with a parachute so that she can land safely on the ground. Mikaela has jumped out of airplanes many times from different heights in the sky. The arrows show which direction Mikaela falls each time she jumps. What does this tell you about gravity?

• When Mikaela jumps from a distance that is farther away from the surface of the Earth, the direction of gravity changes.

• When Mikaela jumps from a distance that is farther away from the surface of the Earth, the direction of gravity never changes.

• When Mikaela jumps from a distance that is farther away from the surface of the Earth, the strength of gravity increases and she falls faster.

• When Mikaela jumps from a distance that is farther away from the surface of the Earth, the strength of gravity decreases and she falls slower.

Mikaela decides to do an experiment. As she flies in the airplane, she drops different objects to see what happens. She drops a tennis ball, a feather, a paper clip, and a magnet. She watches what happens to each object. The arrows show which direction each object falls after it is dropped from the airplane. What does this tell you about gravity? [Don’t worry! She makes sure there aren’t any people around so nobody gets hurt by falling objects!]

• Gravity only pulls heavy objects down toward the surface of the Earth.

• Gravity only pulls light objects down toward the surface of the Earth.

• Gravity only pulls magnetic objects made of metal toward the surface of the Earth.

• Gravity pulls all objects down toward the surface of the Earth.

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Mikaela has jumped out of airplanes all over the world. Below is a drawing that shows the different locations where she has jumped out of an airplane. The arrows show which direction Mikaela fell after she jumped out of each airplane. What does this tell you about gravity? Choose all correct answers.

• Gravity has no pattern. The direction it pulls objects is always different.

• Gravity has a pattern. The direction it pulls objects is always “down” when down means toward the surface of the Earth.

• Gravity only pulls objects “down” toward the surface of the Earth in certain locations.

• Gravity always pulls objects “down” toward the surface of the Earth, no matter the location.

Andres is a new skydiver. He does his first jump out of an airplane and safely falls to the ground below. He’s very excited and says, “Did you see me jump and fall? That’s evidence of gravity as a force that pulls any object toward the surface of the Earth.” Do you think that the one jump Andres made is enough evidence to support his claim? If you think Andres needs more evidence, what kinds of evidence would help him make a much stronger argument about gravity?

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What force is acting on the cat at the end?

• Gravity

• Friction

• Momentum

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