Why does a feather fall at the same rate as a hammer on the Moon?

To calculate an object's weight, we have weight = mass * gravitational field strength (W = mg). From this, we see that an object with a greater mass (e.g. a hammer compared with a feather) has a greater weight, and since weight is the force that causes falling, we might expect that it will fall faster.
However, this does not happen. If we want to work out the acceleration of an object, we use Newton's second law, force = mass * acceleration (F = ma). Since weight is the force acting on the hammer or feather, we can equate our expression for the weight, mg, to ma:
ma = mg
We can then divide both sides of this equation by m, yielding
a = g
And therefore, the acceleration a doesn't depend on m, the object's mass. For this reason, a hammer and a feather will fall with the same acceleration on the Moon, as long as there are no other forces.

JT
Answered by Joel T. Physics tutor

8935 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

An ultraviolet wave of continuous frequency reflects from a solid surface back in the direction of the transmitter. Assuming no amplitude is lost, describe and explain the behaviour of the particles in the medium between the transmitter and surface.


Explain Rutherford's atomic model experiment


A gun of mass 10kg fires a bullet of mass 240g at a speed of 300ms-1. What is the speed of the gun's recoil?


Why is the sky blue?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning