Problem Set: Universal Law of Gravitation

Answers are in “invisible ink”

Useful Values: G = 6.67 x 10-11 Mearth= 6.0 x 1024kg rearth= 6.4 x 106 m

1. A person proceeds away from the Earth. How do you expect their weight to
change and why? Ans: Their weight will decrease by the square of the distance.
So double their distance and it will quarter their weight. 10 times the distance and
it will be 1/100th of the original weight.

2. The force of attraction between m1 and m2 is 26 N. What will this force become if
m2 is tripled and the distance between it and m1 is halved? Ans: It will become
312 N

3. Calculate the force between two touching grapefruits each with a radius of 0.08
meters and a mass of 0.45 kilograms. Ans: 5.3 x 10 -10 N if you realize the radius is
of the grapefruit and not the distance between centers...

4. A 5.0 kg and a 10 kg sphere are 0.3 m apart (center-to-center distance). Find the
force of attraction between them. Ans

5. An object weighs 100 N on the surface of the earth. Find its weight if it was 6.38 x
106 m above the surface, doubling the distance. Ans: 25 N

6. A woman standing on the surface of the Earth, 6.4 x 10 6 m from its center, has a
mass of 50.0 kg. What is the force of gravity on the woman? Ans: 489 N

7. Calculate the gravitational force on the earth due to the sun. It is this force which
holds the earth in its orbit.
Msun= 1.99 x 1030 kg distance from center of sun to center of Earth = 1.496 x 108
km
Ans: 35.4 x 1027 N

8. Two students, one 55 kg and the other 70 kg, have been giving each other
googly-eyes in class for weeks. Some say they are “in love”, but others say that
they are simply “attracted” to one another. What is the force of attraction between
these two, assuming that they sit 10 m apart (from center of gravity to center of
gravity) in class?
Ans: 2.6 x 10-9 N
9. A man on the moon with a mass of 90 kilograms weighs 146 newtons. The radius
of the moon is 1.74 x 106 meters. Find the mass of the moon. Ans: 7.4 x 10 22 kg