Moon....

[asterroc]

My students this semester found this question more challenging than they usually do. It's small number statistics and all, but I'm curious what y'all think. Please answer before viewing other people's answers, and if you care to explain your reasoning in the comments, I'd love to see.

[Poll #1918673]

Comments

[meig.livejournal.com]

There is gravity on the moon, but less than on the Earth, so the pencil will be pulled toward the ground. I think it will fall more slowly, but due to the fact that there is no atmosphere to slow it down, it may actually fall more quickly. But I think that since there is also pull from the Earth, it will fall more slowly. I've never really explored this concept or thought hard on it, though.

[sildra.livejournal.com]

The slowing effects of the atmosphere on Earth are actually very small on something the size and shape of a pencil, until you get to very high speeds. Meanwhile the moon is orbiting the Earth, which is equivalent to being in free fall, so something on the surface of the moon doesn't experience gravity from Earth (except as a tidal force). So the only non-negligible consideration is the first one you said: that there is gravity on the moon, but less than on Earth, so the pencil will fall but more slowly.

(Also, Earth's gravity would pull in the opposite direction of the moon's gravity on the side of the moon facing the Earth, but on the far side of the moon it would be pulling in the same direction.)