Gravity

A free interactive lesson on gravity for Class 5 — why everything falls down, Newton's discovery that gravity acts between all masses, how mass differs from weight, and why you would weigh six times less on the Moon. Based on NCERT Class 5 Space. Includes quiz.

Class 5 ScienceClass 5 / Grade 5Ages 7–10
Lesson
🍎 Gravity
Drop anything. It falls. But why?🍎Falls to groundEarthMoonMoon "falls" around Earth!Gravity — the force that pulls everything together.

Drop a ball — it falls. Pour water — it falls. Jump up — you come back down. Gravity is the invisible force of attraction between all objects that have mass. It's what keeps your feet on the ground, what holds the Moon in orbit around Earth, and what keeps Earth circling the Sun.

What is gravity?

Gravity is an attractive force — it pulls objects towards each other. Every object that has mass exerts a gravitational pull on every other object with mass. The larger the mass, the stronger the gravitational force. Earth has an enormous mass, so it pulls everything on its surface (and in orbit) towards its centre with tremendous force.

Newton's law of universal gravitation

Isaac Newton (1643–1727) was the first to describe gravity mathematically. According to his law:

  • Every object with mass attracts every other object with mass.
  • The force increases with the mass of the objects — bigger masses pull harder.
  • The force decreases with distance — objects further apart pull more weakly.

Newton realised that the same force that made an apple fall from a tree also keeps the Moon in orbit — the Moon is constantly "falling" towards Earth but moving sideways fast enough to keep missing it.

Mass vs weight — the important difference

Mass is the amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms. It is constant everywhere in the universe — your mass on Earth is the same as your mass on the Moon or in space.

Weight is the force of gravity pulling on your mass, measured in Newtons. It changes depending on the strength of gravity. The Moon has only 1/6th of Earth's gravitational pull, so if you weigh 60 kg on Earth (meaning Earth pulls you with a force equivalent to 60 kg), on the Moon you would weigh just 10 kg. Your mass, however, would remain exactly 60 kg.

Gravity in the solar system

Every planet has a different gravitational pull depending on its mass and size:

  • Jupiter — the most massive planet; gravity is 2.5× Earth's. You'd weigh 2.5× more.
  • Mars — about 0.38× Earth's gravity. You'd weigh about 38% of your Earth weight.
  • Moon — 0.16× Earth's gravity (1/6th).
  • Sun — 28× Earth's gravity. You couldn't stand on the surface, but if you could, you'd weigh 28× more.

Gravity is also what keeps planets in orbit around the Sun, moons around planets, and holds galaxies together.

Frequently asked questions

What is gravity?

Gravity is the attractive force between any two objects with mass. The larger the masses and the closer they are, the stronger the gravitational force. Earth's large mass creates gravity strong enough to hold you on its surface and keep the Moon in orbit.

What is the difference between mass and weight?

Mass is the amount of matter in you — measured in kilograms — and stays the same everywhere. Weight is the force of gravity acting on your mass — measured in Newtons — and changes on different planets. On the Moon, your mass is the same but your weight is 6× less.

Why does the Moon orbit Earth instead of falling straight into it?

The Moon is constantly falling towards Earth due to gravity — but it's also moving sideways very fast. The combination of falling and moving sideways means it keeps missing Earth and stays in a circular orbit. Newton called this 'falling around' the planet.

Is there gravity in space?

Yes — gravity extends through all of space. Astronauts in the ISS are still subject to about 90% of Earth's surface gravity. They feel 'weightless' because they are in freefall — the ISS is falling towards Earth at the same rate as the astronauts, so there is no push on the astronauts.

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