Universal Law of Gravitation Sample Problems

Physical Science

1. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the Sun (M Sun=1.99 x 1030 kg) and the Earth as you
stand on its surface (Mearth= 5.97 ×1024 kg, dSun-Earth= 1.50 x 1011 m).

2. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between you (M You=75 kg) and the Earth as you stand on its
surface (Mearth= 5.97 × 1024 kg, Rearth= 6.38 x 106 m).

3. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between you (M You=75 kg) and your lab partner (M Partner=62 kg)
when sitting in your seats, spaced 1.2 meters apart (measured from their centers).

4. Tyrone and Mia have masses of 82.8 kg and 57.6 kg respectively. They sit 1.19 m apart in the front center of
Mr. H's Physics class. For some time, they each have been sensing a sort of electricity in their growing
relationship. And now, six units into their Physics course, they have learned that they are also gravitationally
attracted to each other. Determine the magnitude of this force of gravitational attraction.

5. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and the moon. Their masses are 5.98 x
1024 kg and 7.26 x 1022 kg, respectively. The average distance separating the Earth and the moon is 3.84 x
108 m. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and the moon.

6. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and the sun. Their masses are 5.98 x 10 24 kg
and 1.99 x 1030 kg, respectively. The average distance separating the Earth and the sun is 1.50 x 10 11 m.
Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and the sun.

7. Odd things can happen at a bowling alley, like the time two 7.33-kg bowling balls sitting next to each other
developed a gravitational attraction for one another. It their centers were 42.9 cm apart, then what was the
gravitational force value? 

8. Let's just suppose that you had a mass of 69.7 kg. The Earth has a mass of 5.972x10 24 kg and a radius of
6.371x106 m. (Use G = 6.67x10-11 N·m2/kg2.)
A. What is the force of gravitational attraction between you and the Earth? 
B. Using a g value of 9.8 N/kg, what is your weight?

9. An astronomer spots two celestial bodies of mass 4.69x10 19 kg and 7.66x1022 kg separated by a distance of
3.96x1014 m. Determine the force (in Newtons) of gravitational attraction between the two bodies.

10. Tom has a mass of 86.5 kg and Becky has a mass of 53.9 kg. Tom and Becky are at a barnyard dance. Becky
looks up and sees Tom standing 14.2 m away. She instantly feels an attraction. If the attraction is gravitational,
find its magnitude. 

11. Ms. Sterling is attempting to replicate the Cavendish experiment performed in 1798. Using a similar apparatus
with a 6.04-kg lead ball and a smaller 0.622-kg lead ball, she wishes to measure the force of attraction
between them when separated by a distance of 51.6 cm. What force value can be expected if using a G value
of 6.67x10-11 N·m2/kg2? 

12. What is the gravitational force of attraction between two large balls with a separation distance of 2.46 meters?
The balls have masses of 8.15 kg and 5.27 kg.  

13. Use Newton's law of universal gravitation to determine the force of gravitational attraction between two
students of mass 57.8 kg and 74.0 kg if they are seated in their chairs a distance of 1.21 m apart.

14. An astronomer discovers two celestial bodies separated by a distance of 5.83x10 9 meters. The mass of Body
#1 is 3.71x106 kg and the mass of Body #2 is 7.83x10 6 kg. Determine the distance (in m) from Body #1 - the
3.71x106-kg body - at which the net gravitational force on an object would be zero. 

15. The 39100-kg Muskmobile is halfway betwen the Earth and the Moon. The Earth-moon distance is
3.844x108 m. Use the Table of Planetary Data to calculate … 
 Planetary Data
 

Body Mass Mean Radius Period Mean Distance

(kg) ( m) (s) From Sun (m)
Mercury 3.18 x 1023 2.43 x 106 7.60 x 106 5.79 x 1010
Venus 4.88 x 1024 6.06 x 106 1.94 x 107 1.08 x 1011
Earth 5.98 x 1024 6.38 x 106 3.156 x 107 1.496 x 1011
Mars 6.42 x 1023 3.37 x 106 5.94 x 107 2.28 x 1011
Jupiter 1.90 x 1027 6.99 x 107 3.74 x 108 7.78 x 1011
Saturn 5.68 x 1026 5.85 x 107 9.35 x 108 1.43 x 1012
Uranus 8.68 x 1025 2.33 x 107 2.64 x 109 2.87 x 1012
Neptune 1.03 x 1026 2.21 x 107 5.22 x 109 4.50 x 1012
Pluto ~1 x 1023 ~3 x 106 7.82 x 109 5.91 x 1012
Moon 7.36 x 1022 1.74 x 106 -- --
Sun 1.991 x 1030 6.96 x 108 -- --

A. the distance from the Earth's center.

B. the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and the Muskmobile.
C. the distance from the Moon's center.
D. the force of gravitational attraction between the Moon and the Muskmobile.

KEPLER’S THIRD LAW

1. Planet Zwork orbits a massive star much in the same way that the planets of our solar system orbit the Sun. It
takes Planet Zwork is positioned 2.50x1012 meters from the center of the star and it takes it 5.09 Earth-years to
orbit the star. Planet Kep orbits the same star but is a distance of 7.05x10 12 meters from its center. What is the
orbital period of Planet Kep?

2. Solve for the orbital period of the following planets.

PLANET DISTANCE FROM SUN (AU) ORBITAL PERIOD

Mercury 0.387
Venus 0.723
Earth 1
Mars 1.524
Jupiter 5.203
Saturn 9.539
Uranus 19.191
Neptune 30.071
Pluto 39.457