On the Moon, where there is almost no atmosphere and reduced gravity, which statement is true when dropping a feather and a hammer

• A. The feather and the hammer would hit the surface at the same time
• B. The hammer would hit first because it has more mass
• C. The feather would hit first because it has less mass
• D. It is impossible to predict without more information

Answer: (A)

In a vacuum, all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass. The force of gravity on an object is mg, but acceleration is F/m, so a = mg/m = g. The mass cancels out, meaning both a feather and a hammer accelerate toward the Moon’s surface at the same rate. With no significant air resistance to differentiate them, releasing both from the same height at the same moment makes them hit the surface together. The Moon’s weaker gravity doesn’t change this equality; it just sets the numeric value of the shared acceleration. In air, the feather would be slowed more by drag, but in the Moon’s near-vacuum conditions, they land together.