Universal Gravitation Questions



Universal Gravitation Practice Problems Name:

Physics Period:

|Body |Mass (kg) |Radius (km) |Orbital Radius (km) |Orbital Period |

|Sun |1.99 x 1030 |696,000 | | |

|Mercury |3.30 x 1023 |2440 |57,895,000 |87.96 days |

|Venus |4.87 x 1024 |6052 |108,161,000 |224.7 days |

|Earth |5.97 x 1024 |6378 |149,600,000 |365.26 days |

|Moon |7.35 x 1022 |1738 |384,000 |27.32 days |

|Mars |6.42 x 1023 |3397 |227,392,000 |686.98 days |

|Jupiter |1.90 x 1027 |71492 |778,300,000 |11.86 years |

|Io |8.89 x 1022 |1815 |422,000 |1.77 days |

|Saturn |5.69 x 1026 |60268 |1,427,000,000 |29.46 years |

|Titan |1.34 x 1023 |2575 |1,221,830 |15.95 days |

|Uranus |8.66 x 1025 |25559 |2,884,000,000 |84.01 years |

|Neptune |1.03 x 1026 |24764 |4,521,000,000 |164.8 years |

|Pluto |1.50 x 1022 |1151 |5,959,000,000 |248.6 years |

|Charon |7.35 x 1020 |600 |19,700 |6.39 days |

1. Why is it called Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation?

2. What factors determine how strong the gravitational force between two objects is? How are they related to the strength of the gravitational force?

3. a) Convert your weight from lbs to Newtons. (1 lb = 4.45 N)

b) Use the universal law equation for the force of gravity here on earth to figure out your mass.

c) Based on Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, how much would you weigh on Mercury?

d) How much would you weigh on Jupiter?

c) How much would you weigh on Saturn?

d) How much would you weigh on Pluto?

4. a) What is the force of gravity between a 1,000,000,000 kg asteroid and the earth when the asteroid is 3,000,000 m away from the earth?

b) How quickly will the asteroid accelerate because of that force? (Use Newton’s 2nd Law)

5. What is the force of gravity between a 100 kg astronaut and a 50 kg astronaut floating 2 m apart in deep space?

b) How quickly will each astronaut accelerate because of that force? (Find 2 accelerations)

6. a) How strong is the gravitational force between Mercury and the sun?

b) How strong is the gravitational force between Uranus and the sun?

c) Which force has a greater gravitational force from the sun acting on it? Is that surprising? Why or why not?

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