AP Physics 1

Unit 7 Practice Exercises

Directions: Show the steps required to arrive at the answer. Work out the problems on separate page.

7.1 – Gravity
1. Compare and contract weight and mass in at least two coherent sentences. Include at least 2 differences and 1
similarity.

̅ kg object need to be placed from a 20𝟎

2. How far does a 60𝟎 ̅ kg object for the force between them to equal
−𝟏𝟒
𝟏𝟎 N?

3. An object is moved from the Earth's surface to a distance of five radii from the Earth's center? What is weight
the object after the object is moved?

4. Tatooine has 4.0 times the mass of Earth and a radius half that of Earth. How many times larger is the
acceleration of gravity on Tatooine than it is on Earth?
5. Jakku has half the density of earth and 1/3 the radius. What is the ratio of the acceleration due on gravity on
𝑽
Jakku to that of Earth’s? (HINT: 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 = 𝝆 = 𝒎

6. Two equal masses, m, are placed some distance, r, apart. In terms of the original force of gravity Fg between
the two masses, describe how the gravitational force will change if:
A) One mass is doubled
B) Both masses are doubled.
C) The distance between the masses is reduced by half
D) The distance between the masses is increased by a factor of three
E) One mass is doubled, one mass is tripled, and the distance is increased by a factor of two.

7. A rocket blasts away from the earth with a cargo for the international space station. Sketch the graph of the
force of gravity the rocket experiences from the earth as a function of time.

8. In both cases shown at right, an astronaut is a distance x from a moon. The

two cases are identical except that in Case A there is a large planet directly
between the astronaut and the moon.

a) Is the gravitational force on the astronaut by the moon greater in Case

A, greater in Case B, or the same in both cases? Explain your
reasoning.
b) In which case will the astronaut have greater acceleration? Explain
your reasoning.

9. At the instant shown, three asteroids are in a line, and the distance between A and B is the same as the
distance between B and C. Asteroids B and C have the same mass, while asteroid A has twice the mass.

Rank the magnitude of the net force on each asteroid due to the other two asteroids. Explain your reasoning.
10. Three objects with a mass of M exert gravitation forces on each other. What is the direction of
the net force on mass B? Explain your reasoning.

11. a) Describe a method to determine the inertial mass of your physics textbook. Include any materials and
measurements.
b) Describe a method to determine the gravitational mass of your physics textbook. Include any materials and
measurements.

7.2 – Orbital Motion

1. A hypothetical planet orbits a star with mass one-half the mass of our sun. The planet’s orbital radius is the
same as the Earth’s. Approximately how many Earth years does it take for the planet to complete one orbit?

2. Titan is a moon that orbits Saturn (mass = 5.68 𝑥 1026 kg) at a distance of 1.23𝑥106 km.
a) Calculate the orbital speed of Titan around Saturn.
b) How long does it take Titan to orbit Saturn in days?

3. Consider Earth to be stationary, and the Moon as orbiting Earth in a circle of radius 𝑅. If the masses of Earth
and the moon are 𝑀𝐸 and 𝑀𝑀 , determine an expression for the total mechanical energy of the Earth-Moon
system?

4. A projectile is launched from the surface of a planet (mass = M, radius = R). What minimum launch speed is
required if the projectile is to rise to a height of 2R above the surface of the planet?

5. Three spheres, with masses indicate, are initially far away from each other, and the
gravitational system of the system is zero. The spheres are then brought together until
each sphere is a distance r from the other two. What is the new gravitational potential
energy of the three-sphere system?

6. Two satellites orbits earth.

a) The satelitte moves from A to B. How does the speed of i. the
satellite and ii. the center of mass of the Earth-satellite system
change?
b) Compare the speed at A and B.
c) Compare the potential energy at A and B.
d) Compare the total energy at A and B.