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What Would Happen If Gravity Disappeared

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 5678
Subjects: scienceela
Standards: MS-ESS1-2
Languages: English, Spanish

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What's included

Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

Auto-graded

Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

Bilingual support

About this reader

This engaging 500-word science passage for grades 6-8 uses a thought experiment to help students understand gravity's critical role in Earth systems. Aligned to NGSS MS-ESS1-2 and the Disciplinary Core Idea MS-ESS1.B (Earth and the Solar System), the passage walks students through increasingly dramatic consequences of gravity's disappearance—from floating objects to escaping atmospheres and disrupted orbits. The audio-integrated content includes a simplified differentiated version for English Language Learners and struggling readers, Spanish translations of both versions, a comprehensive glossary of key terms like gravitational force and orbit, ten multiple-choice questions spanning DOK levels 1-3, three writing prompts with model answers, and two graphic organizers. Students explore cause-and-effect relationships while developing scientific reasoning skills. This standards-aligned resource makes abstract gravitational concepts concrete through real-world connections and systematic analysis of gravity's effects on multiple scales.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

A mysterious figure appears to hover amid a foggy forest setting, creating a surreal atmosphere. — If gravity suddenly disappeared, Your feet would lift off the ground. Image by Sam Clickx / Pexels.

If gravity suddenly disappeared, everything not attached to Earth would float away into space. This thought experiment helps scientists explain how gravity holds our world together. Gravitational force pulls all objects toward each other. Without it, life as we know it would end instantly.

The first changes would happen right where you stand. Your feet would lift off the ground. Every loose object would drift upward. Scientists observe that gravity keeps us pressed against Earth's surface. Without this force, nothing would stay in place. Buildings bolted to foundations might remain, but people, cars, and animals would float away. Water in oceans would break into massive droplets. These droplets would scatter into space rather than staying in ocean basins.

Earth's atmosphere would disappear next. Evidence shows that gravity holds air molecules close to our planet. Without gravitational pull, oxygen and nitrogen would escape into space. Within minutes, humans could not breathe. The protective layer that shields us from harmful space radiation would vanish. Temperature extremes would become deadly without atmosphere to regulate heat.

The Moon's orbit around Earth would end immediately. Scientists explain that gravity keeps the Moon circling our planet. Without this force, the Moon would travel in a straight line into deep space. Earth would also stop orbiting the Sun. Our planet would shoot off into the darkness. The entire solar system would break apart. Planets, asteroids, and comets would scatter in different directions.

Even Earth's internal structure depends on gravity. Our planet formed when gravity pulled dust and rock together billions of years ago. The core stays compressed at Earth's center because of immense gravitational pressure. Without gravity, this pressure would release. Earth might expand or break into pieces. The magnetic field generated in the core protects us from solar wind. Losing this field would expose Earth to dangerous particles from the Sun.

In 2011, scientists used satellites to map tiny variations in Earth's gravitational field. This research revealed how gravity affects everything from ocean currents to ice sheet movements. The data confirmed that gravity shapes our planet's systems at every scale. Understanding gravity helps scientists predict tides, track satellites, and study climate patterns.

Gravity matters because it creates the conditions necessary for life. It holds our atmosphere in place so we can breathe. It keeps water on the surface for drinking and agriculture. It maintains Earth's orbit in the habitable zone around the Sun. Without gravity, Earth would be a lifeless rock drifting through empty space.

Interesting Fact: Your weight would become zero without gravity, but your mass would stay the same. Mass measures the amount of matter in your body, which does not change, while weight measures gravitational pull on that matter.

What is the main force that keeps everything on Earth's surface?

GravityMagnetismElectricityWind

What would happen to Earth's atmosphere if gravity disappeared?

It would become thickerIt would escape into spaceIt would turn into waterIt would sink to the ground

According to the passage, what does 'orbit' mean?

The center of a planetA type of atmosphereThe curved path an object takes around another objectA force that pushes objects apart

What does 'mass' measure?

How much gravity pulls on an objectThe amount of matter in an objectThe speed of an objectThe temperature of an object

Why would the Moon fly away if gravity disappeared?

Because the Sun would push it awayBecause it would meltBecause gravity keeps it orbiting EarthBecause it is too light

What did scientists discover when they mapped Earth's gravitational field in 2011?

Gravity has no effect on ocean currentsGravity affects everything from ocean currents to ice sheet movementsGravity only exists at Earth's coreGravity is strongest at the equator

How would losing gravity affect Earth's structure?

Earth would become larger and more solidEarth's core pressure would release and the planet might break apartEarth would become perfectly roundNothing would happen to Earth's structure

If you were in space without gravity, what would happen to your body?

Your mass would become zero but your weight would stay the sameBoth your mass and weight would increaseYour weight would become zero but your mass would stay the sameYou would immediately disappear

True or False: Without gravity, Earth would continue to orbit the Sun normally.

TrueFalse

True or False: Earth's magnetic field, which protects us from solar particles, is generated in the core and depends on gravitational pressure.

TrueFalse