Answer to Question #112 in Mechanics | Relativity for Kevin Walker

Question

Why does a body thrown on the Moon appear to be in state of complete weightlessness during the flight and why can the same body but on the Earth be considered weightless only approximately?

Answer 1

Because there is no atmosphere on the moon. The presence of the atmosphere leads to the emergence of resistance forces, and therefore the resultant of all forces on earth can never be equal to zero (the condition of weightlessness).