# 6.5 Newton's universal law of gravitation  (Page 8/13)

 Page 8 / 13

## Test prep for ap courses

Jupiter has a mass approximately 300 times greater than Earth's and a radius about 11 times greater. How will the gravitational acceleration at the surface of Jupiter compare to that at the surface of the Earth?

1. Greater
2. Less
4. Not enough information

(a)

Given Newton's universal law of gravitation (Equation 6.40), under what circumstances is the force due to gravity maximized?

In the formula $g=\frac{GM}{{r}^{2}}$ , what does G represent?

1. The acceleration due to gravity
2. A gravitational constant that is the same everywhere in the universe
3. A gravitational constant that is inversely proportional to the radius
4. The factor by which you multiply the inertial mass to obtain the gravitational mass

(b)

Saturn's moon Titan has a radius of 2.58 × 10 6 m and a measured gravitational field of 1.35 m/s 2 . What is its mass?

A recently discovered planet has a mass twice as great as Earth's and a radius twice as large as Earth's. What will be the approximate size of its gravitational field?

1. 19 m/s 2
2. 4.9 m/s 2
3. 2.5 m/s 2
4. 9.8 m/s 2

(b)

4. Earth is 1.5 × 10 11 m from the Sun. Mercury is 5.7 × 10 10 m from the Sun. How does the gravitational field of the Sun on Mercury ( g SM ) compare to the gravitational field of the Sun on Earth ( g SE )?

## Section summary

• Newton's universal law of gravitation: Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force along a line joining them. The force is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In equation form, this is
$F=G\frac{\text{mM}}{{r}^{2}}\text{,}$

where F is the magnitude of the gravitational force. $G$ is the gravitational constant, given by $G=6\text{.}\text{673}×{\text{10}}^{\text{–11}}\phantom{\rule{0.25em}{0ex}}\text{N}\cdot {\text{m}}^{2}{\text{/kg}}^{2}$ .

• Newton's law of gravitation applies universally.

## Conceptual questions

Action at a distance, such as is the case for gravity, was once thought to be illogical and therefore untrue. What is the ultimate determinant of the truth in physics, and why was this action ultimately accepted?

Two friends are having a conversation. Anna says a satellite in orbit is in freefall because the satellite keeps falling toward Earth. Tom says a satellite in orbit is not in freefall because the acceleration due to gravity is not $9.80 m{\text{/s}}^{2}$ . Who do you agree with and why?

Draw a free body diagram for a satellite in an elliptical orbit showing why its speed increases as it approaches its parent body and decreases as it moves away.

Newton's laws of motion and gravity were among the first to convincingly demonstrate the underlying simplicity and unity in nature. Many other examples have since been discovered, and we now expect to find such underlying order in complex situations. Is there proof that such order will always be found in new explorations?

what is angular velocity
Why does earth exert only a tiny downward pull?
hello
Islam
Why is light bright?
an 8.0 capacitor is connected by to the terminals of 60Hz whoes rms voltage is 150v. a.find the capacity reactance and rms to the circuit
thanks so much. i undersooth well
what is physics
is the study of matter in relation to energy
Kintu
a submersible pump is dropped a borehole and hits the level of water at the bottom of the borehole 5 seconds later.determine the level of water in the borehole
what is power?
power P = Work done per second W/ t. It means the more power, the stronger machine
Sphere
e.g. heart Uses 2 W per beat.
Rohit
A spherica, concave shaving mirror has a radius of curvature of 32 cm .what is the magnification of a persons face. when it is 12cm to the left of the vertex of the mirror
did you solve?
Shii
1.75cm
Ridwan
my name is Abu m.konnek I am a student of a electrical engineer and I want you to help me
Abu
the magnification k = f/(f-d) with focus f = R/2 =16 cm; d =12 cm k = 16/4 =4
Sphere
what do we call velocity
Kings
A weather vane is some sort of directional arrow parallel to the ground that may rotate freely in a horizontal plane. A typical weather vane has a large cross-sectional area perpendicular to the direction the arrow is pointing, like a “One Way” street sign. The purpose of the weather vane is to indicate the direction of the wind. As wind blows pa
hi
Godfred
Godfred
If a prism is fully imersed in water then the ray of light will normally dispersed or their is any difference?
the same behavior thru the prism out or in water bud abbot
Ju
If this will experimented with a hollow(vaccum) prism in water then what will be result ?
Anurag
What was the previous far point of a patient who had laser correction that reduced the power of her eye by 7.00 D, producing a normal distant vision power of 50.0 D for her?
What is the far point of a person whose eyes have a relaxed power of 50.5 D?
Jaydie
What is the far point of a person whose eyes have a relaxed power of 50.5 D?
Jaydie
A young woman with normal distant vision has a 10.0% ability to accommodate (that is, increase) the power of her eyes. What is the closest object she can see clearly?
Jaydie
29/20 ? maybes
Ju
In what ways does physics affect the society both positively or negatively
how can I read physics...am finding it difficult to understand...pls help
try to read several books on phy don't just rely one. some authors explain better than other.
Ju
And don't forget to check out YouTube videos on the subject. Videos offer a different visual way to learn easier.
Ju
hope that helps
Ju