What is the difference between mass and weight?

Weight is the force of gravity on a mass

Newton's law says gravity weakens with distance in what way?

With the square of the distance

How did Einstein describe gravity?

As the curving of spacetime by mass

Why do astronauts float in the International Space Station?

They are in continuous free fall

Gravity Quiz: 10 Questions That Test What You Know

This gravity quiz covers Newton's law of gravitation, free fall, the difference between mass and weight, tides, orbits, Einstein's curved spacetime and black holes. Ten questions test what you know about the force that holds the universe together.

Start Gravity Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Acceleration
Near Earth's surface, about how fast does a falling object speed up each second?
Mass
What is the difference between mass and weight?
Moon
On the Moon, a person weighs about what fraction of their Earth weight?
Feather
In a vacuum, what happens when a hammer and a feather are dropped together?
Tides
What mainly causes ocean tides on Earth?
Newton
Newton's law says gravity weakens with distance in what way?
Einstein
How did Einstein describe gravity?
Orbit
Why do astronauts float in the International Space Station?
Black holes
What is the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing escapes?
Waves
Which observatory first detected gravitational waves in 2015?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Near Earth's surface, about how fast does a falling object speed up each second?
Answer: About 9.8 meters per second
This value, called g, is the same for all objects if air resistance is ignored.
Q2: What is the difference between mass and weight?
Answer: Weight is the force of gravity on a mass
Your mass stays the same everywhere, but your weight changes with gravity.
Q3: On the Moon, a person weighs about what fraction of their Earth weight?
Answer: One-sixth
The Moon has less mass, so its surface gravity is much weaker.
Q4: In a vacuum, what happens when a hammer and a feather are dropped together?
Answer: They land at the same time
Astronaut David Scott showed this on the Moon during Apollo 15 in 1971.
Q5: What mainly causes ocean tides on Earth?
Answer: The Moon's gravity
The Sun also contributes, creating stronger spring tides when they line up.
Q6: Newton's law says gravity weakens with distance in what way?
Answer: With the square of the distance
Doubling the distance makes gravity four times weaker.
Q7: How did Einstein describe gravity?
Answer: As the curving of spacetime by mass
General relativity was published in 1915.
Q8: Why do astronauts float in the International Space Station?
Answer: They are in continuous free fall
Gravity there is still about 90% as strong as on the ground.
Q9: What is the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing escapes?
Answer: Event horizon
Even light cannot escape once past it.
Q10: Which observatory first detected gravitational waves in 2015?
Answer: LIGO
The waves came from two black holes merging over a billion years ago.

Gravity Quiz – The Force That Shapes the Universe

Gravity is the attraction between masses. It keeps our feet on the ground, holds the Moon in orbit around Earth and binds stars into galaxies. Although it is the weakest of the four fundamental forces, it dominates on large scales because it always attracts and reaches across enormous distances.

Isaac Newton described gravity in 1687 as a force that depends on mass and distance, and his law still lets engineers plan spacecraft trajectories. In 1915 Albert Einstein went further, explaining gravity as the bending of space and time by mass and energy. His theory predicted black holes, the bending of light and gravitational waves.

Gravity affects daily life in surprising ways. It creates tides, shapes the paths of thrown balls and keeps satellites in orbit. GPS satellites even need corrections for relativity, because time runs slightly faster where gravity is weaker. Scientists still search for a theory that unites gravity with quantum physics.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for students and science fans who want to understand gravity.

How fast objects fall
How mass and weight differ
What causes tides
How Einstein explained gravity
Why astronauts float

Did You Know?

Jupiter's gravity is about 2.5 times Earth's.
Gravity keeps Earth's atmosphere in place.
A neutron star's gravity is enormous.
Microgravity weakens astronauts' bones.
Galaxies hold together partly due to dark matter.