Grade 11 · Science · Physics

11th grade Weight, mass and the normal force worksheet

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Weight, mass and the normal force

Grade 11 Science Worksheet

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

A 5 kg box sits on a scale on an elevator floor. The elevator accelerates at 2 m/s² (up positive). With g = 9.8 m/s², what does the scale read, Ari?
A 4 kg box sits on a scale on an elevator floor. The elevator accelerates at -1.8 m/s² (up positive). With g = 9.8 m/s², what does the scale read, Bo?
A 10 kg box sits on a scale on an elevator floor. The elevator accelerates at 0.5 m/s² (up positive). With g = 9.8 m/s², what does the scale read, Esme?
4.
The elevator is accelerating. In the free-body diagram, what does the scale read now, Jun?
- 39 N
- 10 N
- 59 N
- 49 N, the weight
5.
The elevator is accelerating. In the free-body diagram, what does the scale read now, Kira?
- 49 N, the weight
- 59 N
- 0 N
- 39 N
6.
The elevator is still rising but slowing, accelerating at 1 m/s² downward. The elevator is accelerating. In the free-body diagram, what does the scale read now, Luz?
- 5 N
- 54 N, since it is still rising
- 49 N, the weight
- 44 N
7.
On Mars, g is about 3.69 m/s² (NASA). About what does a 2 kg box weigh there, Noah?
- 2 N
- About 7.4 N
- About 1.8 N
- About 19.6 N
8.
A box is weighed on Earth, the Moon and Mars. What stays the same in all three places, Pia?
- Nothing
- The scale reading
- Its mass
- Its weight
9.
A 4 kg box rests on a ramp tilted 30°. With g = 9.8 m/s², what is the normal force on it, Ren?
- About 33.9 N
- 39.2 N, the weight
- 0 N
- 19.6 N
10.
A 2 kg box rests on a ramp tilted 60°. With g = 9.8 m/s², what is the normal force on it, Tala?
- 17 N
- 19.6 N, the weight
- 2 N
- 9.8 N

11th grade Weight, mass and the normal force worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Weight, mass and the normal force. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can find weight with W = mg. I know mass (kg) stays the same everywhere while weight (N) changes with g: the Moon's g is 1.62 m/s² and Mars's about 3.69 m/s² (NASA).
I can explain that a scale reads the normal force. At rest or at a steady speed it equals the weight; with acceleration it is N = m(g + a), with up positive.
I can work backward from a scale reading to the elevator's acceleration (a = N ÷ m − g).
I can find normal forces that are not the weight: stacked loads, and ramps (mg cos θ).

Standard: HS-PS2-1

Words to know

mass: Amount of matter, in kilograms; the same everywhere

weight: Gravity's pull on an object: W = mg, in newtons

normal force: A surface's push straight out from itself

scale reading: The normal force the scale pushes with

apparent weight: What a scale reads when it is accelerating

Common mistakes

Your child used 10 for g. With g = 9.8 m/s² given, use 9.8; 10 is a rough estimate.

Your child used the weight as the scale reading. When the elevator accelerates, the scale must also supply m × a, so the reading changes.

Your child got the direction of the acceleration backward. With up positive, accelerating upward makes the scale read more.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with weight, mass and the normal force?

Your child used 10 for g. With g = 9.8 m/s² given, use 9.8; 10 is a rough estimate.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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