Question

1. Analyze the following logical argument. At what step (i through iv) does a logical fallacy occur? i. The weight of an object is equal to the force of gravity acting upon that object. ii. Orbiting astronauts feel weightless as they orbit the Earth. iii. A person who feels weightless is not acted upon by the force of gravity. iv. There is no force of gravity acting upon orbiting astronauts. Explain your answer. 2. When you stand on a bathroom scale, the scale does not measure the force of gravity (i.e., weight) acting upon your mass. What does the scale measure? ___________________ If a scale does not technically measure your weight, then why is it often used to measure your weight? Express your understanding of forces, Newton's second law of motion, and bathroom scales by discussing these questions.

Answer 1

Answer:

iv. There is no force of gravity acting upon orbiting astronauts.

2. it measures the mass

Explanation:

A logical fallacy occur in step iv

There is actually force of gravity upon the orbiting astronauts. Gravity exist in space. there is an upward and downward forces that keeps the body stable.

1,ii,iii are correct logical statements

2.What does the scale measure? ___________________ If a scale does not technically measure your weight, then why is it often used to measure your weight?

The scale measures ones mass.

Mass is the quantity of matter in a body. Matter is anything that has weight and occupies space. Assuming we are to measure the weight of ones body we will need to be hanged in the air and take measurement with the aid of a spring balance.

At this instant, the force of gravity will be acting on the body(that is one will experience the earth's gravitational pull to the earth's center)

Force is the pull or push on an object. F=mass * gravity

Force is also that which tends to change a body's state of rest or uniform motion on a straight line.

Newton's second law of motion states that the force applied is directly proportional to the rate of change in linear momentum

Answer 2

Answer:

1. Options iii & iv - A person who feels weightless is not acted upon by the force of gravity.

2. Mass

Explanation:

1. The weight of an object refers to the pull of gravity on the object. Hence, option i is true

When astronauts orbit the earth, their bodies are weightless. This is because the resultant of gravity acting on their bodies in space is zero. Hence, option ii is true

The fact actually is that gravity exists everywhere & acts everywhere. However, when a person feels weightless, it is a sensation that occurs when the effect of gravity is not felt. It is not an absence of gravity. When a person feels weightless, the only force acting upon him is the gravity force. Hence, option iii is false

Whilst gravity force is everywhere in the universe, orbiting-astranauts don't feel the effect of gravity; this phenomenon is referred to as zero gravity. Where zero gravity means that there is no force of gravity acting upon orbiting astronauts. Hence, option iv is true.

2. The bathroom scale measures the amount of quantity that is present in a matter. Simply put, bathroom scales measure Mass.

Mass is technically different from weight. While mass is a measure of the quantity of matter, weight is a measure of the gravitational force acting on a matter. From Newton's second law, refers to the conservation of momentum. It states that the acceleration of a body is dependent upon mass of the body & the force acting upon it. Mathematically represented as

F = ma

where: F = force, m = mass of the body

a = acceleration

This is closely related to the formula for calculating the weight of a body as shown below:

w = mg

where: w =weight, m = mass of the body,

g = acceleration due to gravity

We thus see a relationship between the weight and mass of an object. While the mass of an object is constant, its weight varies from location to location because the acceleration due to gravity varies from location to location