1 Part 1 Checkpoint
1 Revision (Route A)
Task 1
In this task you are going to calculate the weight of an astronaut if they were to
stand on the surface of each of the planets in the solar system. Also rank the planets
in order according to the weight of the astronaut (Heaviest =1).
Fill in your answers in the table. There is space below for your working out.
Name of Mass of Gravitational Weight (N) Rank
planet astronaut field strength
(kg) (N/kg)
Mercury 70.0 3.7
Venus 70.0 8.9
Earth 70.0 10
Mars 70.0 3.7
Jupiter 70.0 23.1
Saturn 70.0 9.0
Uranus 70.0 8.7
Neptune 70.0 11.0
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Task 2
In the space below draw a force diagram to show gravity acting on a planet orbiting
a star.
What effect does the force of gravity have on the planet?
Task 3
Circle the correct bold word to complete the sentences about relative motion.
1 The national speed limit for a car on a motorway and dual carriageway is
70 m.p.h. This means a car travelling at the national speed limit on a motorway
appears to be travelling at 70 m.p.h. to a stationary/moving observer.
2 If a heavy goods vehicle is travelling in the same direction as the car, the speed
the HGV driver views the car travelling at appears slower/faster than the
speed of the car as observed by the stationary observer.
3 If a motorbike is travelling in the opposite direction to the car, the speed the
rider views the car travelling at appears slower/faster than the speed of the
car as observed by the stationary observer.
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Task 4
Read the following description of Sally’s walk home from school and draw a
distance–time graph of the journey using the axes on the last page.
Sally leaves school and walks for 3 minutes to the set of traffic lights that are 250 m
away. She waits for 1 minute for the lights to change before she crosses the road.
She walks for another 6 minutes to the shop, which is 500 m away from the traffic
lights. She stops outside the shop for 4 minutes to talk to her friend. Sally realises
that she is late returning home, so she increases her speed to 100 metres per
minute and briskly walks the final 700 m home.
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Task 5
The gravitational field strength of Earth is 10 N/kg.
The gravitational field strength of the Moon is 1.6 N/kg.
The gravitational field strength on Mars is 3.7 N/kg.
Astronauts have visited the Moon, but they have not been to Mars. Apart from the
increased distance between the Earth and Mars, another problem would be launching
from the surface of Mars to come home.
1 Explain why it will be more difficult to lift off from Mars than the Moon?
2 It is easier to lift off from the Moon than from Earth.
Explain why and suggest how it is possible for rockets to lift off from Earth.
© Oxford University Press 2016 [Link]
This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.