Determine whether each of the following statements is true or false. a. An object's weight is always equal to its mass.
b. The force of tension always pushes.
c. The magnitude of the sum of the forces on an object is never greater than its weight. Explain.

a) For an object with mass M, in a region with a gravitational acceleration g, is:

W = M*g

Then the weight is g times the mass of the object, this means that the weight is not always equal to the mass of the object, this first statement is false.

For example, in Earth the gravitational acceleration is 9.8m/s^2

Then there is no object in Earth with a weight equal to its mass.

b) The force of tension can be the force in a piece of string that is holding an object with mass M.

The force of tension will be always pointing in the direction to the "center" of the string, then it does not push, the tension force "pulls"

The statement is false.

c) we know that the weight is:

W = M*g

This is a force, that for an object that is in the air, will pull the object back to the ground.

Suppose that we also have that object attached to a string, and the object is in the air, now the object starts to fall due to its weight and we also pull down with the string, then the total force pulling down will be the weight plus the tension of the string, then we will have a force larger (in magnitude) than the weight, which means that the statement is false.

c. magnitude and direction