Chapter ‐ 1

Force

ὍEXERCISES

2. Answer the following questions:

a. What is gravitation? What are the factors that affect
gravitation? Write the SI unit of gravitation.

Ans: The mutual force of attraction between two bodies is called

gravitation.
The factors that affect gravitation are as follows;
Mass of the body
Distance between their centre

The SI unit of gravitation is Newton.

b. State Newton's Universal Law of gravitation.

Ans: Universal law of gravitation states that "everybody in this

universe attracts another body with a force, which is directly
proportional to the product of their masses and inversely
proportional to the Square of the distance between their centres.

c. What will happen to the gravitational force between two

bodies if the distance between them is halved keeping their
masses constant?

Ans: We know, gravitational force is given by;

F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ i ﴿
According to the statement, distance between two bodies is halved
i.e. d₂ = ﴾½d﴿²
Now,
F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d²
or, F = {4﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ ii ﴿
 or, F = {4﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ ii ﴿
From equation ﴾ i ﴿ and ﴾ ii ﴿
∴ F = 4F [ F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ]
Thus, the gravitational force will be four time greater than before is
if the distance between them is halved keeping the mass constant.

d. What will be the gravitational force between two heavenly

bodies if the masses of both are keeping the distance between
two constant?

Ans: We know, gravitational force beyween two bodies is given by;

F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ i ﴿
According to statement, mass of both body is tripled i.e m₁ = 3m₁
, m₂= 3m₂
Then,
F = ﴾G.3m₁.m₂﴿/d²
or, F = 9 {﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d²} ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ ii ﴿
From equation ﴾ i ﴿ and ﴾ ii ﴿
∴ F = 9F

Hence, the gravitational force will get increased by 9 times it both

masses are tripled keeping distance constant.

e. What will be the gravitational force between two bodies if

the masses of each is doubled and the distance between is
halved?

Ans: We know, the gravitational force between two d bodies is

given by ;
F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ i ﴿
According to the statement, the mass of both bodies is doubled
and distance between them is halved. ie. m₁ = 2m₁ , m₂= 2m₂ and
d² = ﴾d/2﴿²
Then,
F = ﴾G.2m₁.2m₂﴿/d²
or, F = {﴾G2m₁.2m₂﴿/d²} × 4
or, F = 16 ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ ii ﴿
From equation ﴾ i ﴿ and ﴾ ii ﴿
∴ F = 16F
∴ F = 16F
Hence, the gravitation force will be 16 times greater if mass of both
object is doubled and distance between them is halved.

f. Define G. Also write its value and SI unit.

Ans: G is defined as gravitational force produced between two

bodies of unit mass each when they are kept at a unit distance from
their centre.
It's value is 6.67 × 10‐¹¹ Nm²/kg² and its SI unit is Nm²/kg².

g. In this formula, g = GM/R², what do G,M and R stands for ?

Prove that g ∝ 1/R².

Ans: In this formula, g = GM/R² , G,M and R stands for gravitational

constant, mass of the body and radius respectively.
Prove that g ∝ 1/R²
Solution :
Let 'm' be the mass of the object and 'R' be radius.
According to Newtons law of gravitation,
F = ﴾GM.m﴿/R² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ i ﴿
Also,
The force with which the body is attracted by the earth towards its
centre is given by;
F = mg ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ ii ﴿
Now from ﴾ i ﴿ and ﴾ ii ﴿
mg = GMm/R²
or, g = GM/R² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ iii ﴿
Since, G and M are constant but R is variable then equation ﴾iii﴿
becomes;
g ∝ 1/R² ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ﴾ iv ﴿

h. What will be the effect on the acceleration due to gravity of

the earth if it is compressed to a size of the moon?

Ans: If the size of the earth is compressed to a size of moon then

the acceleration due to gravity of the earth increases as the radius
of the earth will be less after it gets compressed.

i. The acceleration due to gravity of Jupiter is 25 m/s². What

i. The acceleration due to gravity of Jupiter is 25 m/s². What
does it mean?

Ans: The acceleration due to gravity of Jupiter is 25m/s² means that

if any object is dropped near Jupiter Surface, it will accelerate
downward at the rate 25 m/s² due to gravity of Jupiter.

j. A Coin and a feather dropped in Vaccum. Which one will

reach the ground first? Why?

Ans: If a coin and a feather are dropped in vaccum then both of

them will reach the ground at same time because in vaccum there
is no air resistance for hindering the falling object.

k. Where does a body have more weight at the pole or at the

equator of the earth? Explain with reason.

Ans: A body has more weight at poles than at equator of the earth
because the polar radius is less than equatorial radius due to which
force of attraction will be more and because of that weight will be
more.

l. When an apple falls towards the earth, the earth moves up to

meet the apple. Is this true? If yes, why is the earth's motion
not noticeable?

Ans: When an apple falls towards the earth, the earth moves up to
meet the apple. Yes, it is true but the earth's motion is not
noticeable because of less magnitude of force.

n. An astronaut is said to be weightless when he travels in a

satellite. Does it mean that the hearth does not attract him?

Class 10 science notes

Ans: An astronaut is said to be weightless when he travels in a

satellite but it does not mean that the earth does not attract him.
The earth's gravity has less effort on him due to less effort of the
earth and negligible gravity in space, the astronaut feel weightless.

o. What is the importance of gravitational force? Write any two

o. What is the importance of gravitational force? Write any two
points.

Ans: The importance of gravitational force are as follows:

We are able to perform our daily activities due to the existence
of gravitational force
The existence of atmosphere around the earth is possible due
to gravitational force.

p. What is freefall? What happens to the weight of a body

when it is falling freely under the action of gravity?

Ans: When a body is falling freely towards the centre of the earth
under the influence of the gravitation pull of the earth, the motion
of the body is called free fall. When a body is falling freely under
the the action of gravity, the acceleration of the body will be equal
to the acceleration due to gravity due to which weight seems to be
zero.

q. What is the effect of gravity on a falling object? Write the

conclusion obtained from the coin and feather experiment.

Ans: When an object is falling on surface of the earth, the gravity

helps them to accelerate. In this condition, the earth's gravity acts
like a magnet and attract the falling object.

The feather and coin experiment proves that, in an vaccum any

object fall at the same rate independent of their respective masses.

r. Write the differences between the fall of a Parachute on the

earth and its fall on the moon? On what condition does a body
have free fall?

Ans: The earth has 6 times higher gravitational force than moon
due to which the parachute will fall on moon taking six times more
time than that on earth.

If the acceleration of body is equal to the a I value of acceleration

due to gravity of that place then at this condition the body have
free fall.
s. Write any two examples of weightlessness.

Ans: The two examples of weightlessness are as follows;

A person in a lift which is falling or in a state of freefall
People in satellites

t. Define:

i. Acceleration due to gravity

Ans: The rate of change of velocity due to gravity is called

acceleration due to gravity.

ii. Weightlessness

Ans: Weightlessness is the state of the body in which it feels that

the body is not influenced by any force.

iii. Freefall

Ans: When the body falls freely under the influence of gravity with
no external resistance, then the fall is known as free fall.

iv. Null point

Ans: The space between any two heavenly bodies at which the
resultant gravity is zero, is called the null paint.

3. Distinguish between:
a. Gravity and gravitation

Ans: The differences between gravity and gravitation are as follows:

 Gravity Vs Gravitation

Gravity Gravitation

It is a force of
It is the mutual force of attraction
attraction of the earth
between two bodies.
on a body.

It is a strong force. It is a weak force.

Eg: Earth pulls an Force of attraction between any two

object of 1kg towards object such as books, table, chair and
it with a force of 9.8N between two heavenly bodies.

b. Gravity and acceleration due to gravity

Ans: The difference between gravity and acceleration due to gravity

are as follows:
Gravity Acceleration due to Gravity

It is a force of attraction of the It is acceleration produced on

earth on a body. body due to gravity.

It is the cause of acceleration

It is the effect of gravity.
due to gravity.

It's SI unit is Newton. It's SI unit is m/s².

c. Mass and Weight

Ans: The differences between mass and weight are as follows:

Mass Weight

It is the amount of matter

It is the force with which a body is
contained in a
attracted towards the centre of earth.
body.

Its value is the same

everywhere in the Its value differ from place to place.
universe.
Mass Weight
It is a scalar quantity. It is a vector quantity.

d. g and G

Ans: The differences between acceleration due to gravity ﴾g﴿ and

Universal gravitational Constant ﴾G﴿ are as follows:
g G

It is the
It is the gravitational force between two unit
acceleration
masses separated by a unit distance from
produced on a
their centre.
body.

Its unit is m/s². Its unit is Nm²/Kg².

It is a vector. It is a scalar quantity.

e. Free fall and Weightlessness

Ans: The differences between freefall and weightlessness are as

follows:
Freefall Weightlessness

If a body is falling freely under Weightlessness is the state of

the action of gravity without any a body in which it feel that the
external resistance then it is body is not influenced by any
called freefall. force.

Eg: Person standing in a lift

Eg: fruit falling from tree.
falling downward.

f. Gravitational force and acceleration due to gravity.

Ans: The differences between gravitational force and acceleration

due to gravity are as follows:
 Acceleration due to
Gravitational Force
gravity

The force of attraction between any two It is a acceleration

object by virtue of their masses is called produced on a body
gravitational force. due to gravity.

Its SI unit is Newton ﴾N﴿. Its SI unit is m/s².

g. Weightlessness in space and weightlessness on the earth

Ans: The differences between weightlessness in space and

weightlessness on the earth are as follows:
Weightlessness in Space Weightlessness on Earth

If a body shows its

If the body shows its apparent
apparent weight zero in
weight zero in space then it is
earth then it is
weightlessness in space.
weightlessness on earth.

Weightlessness on earth is
Weightless in space is seen at null
seen when the body is in
point.
free fall state.

4. Give reason:
a. Newton's law of gravitation is called a universal law.
Ans: Newton's law of gravitation is called a universal law because
this law holds truth for all the bodies whether it is microscopic or
massive placed everywhere in the universe.

b. The weight of a body decreases with increase in distance

from the earth's surface.

Ans: The weight of a body decreases with increase in distance from

the earth's surface because when the distance increases from earth
surface the value of 'g' decreases due to which weight of a body
also decreases.
c. The weight of a stone is less at the top of a mountain than
that at its bottom.

Ans: The weight of a stone is less at the top of a mountain than

that at its bottom because the value of 'g' is more at bottom than
at top due to less distance from sea level.

d. The weight of a body is less at the moon that its weight on

the earth.

Ans: The weight of a body is less at the moon than its weight on
the earth because the weight of a body depends upon the gravity
and the gravitational force is less on moon than on the earth.

e. The moon has no atmosphere.

Ans: The moon has no atmosphere because the value of

gravitational force is so less on the surface of the moon due to
which it cannot attract the molecules of gases.

f. The value of g is greater at the poles than at the equator.

Ans: The value of g is greater at the poles then at the equator

because the value of g is inversely proportional to the distance
between the object and centre of the earth and we know that
equatorial radius is greater than polar radius.

g. There is more role of the moon than the sun to cause tides in
oceans.

Ans: There is more role of the moon than the sun to cause tides in
oceans because the tides are caused by the gravitational force of
both moon and the sun but the moon is closer to the earth than
sun So, it has higher gravitational force to cause tides.

h. Tides occur in oceans but not in lakes.

Ans: Tides occur in oceans but not in lakes because the mass of
water of lake is less than the mass of water of ocean due to which
the gravity of the moon is not much active there.
i. It is difficult to lift a large stone on the surface of the earth
but it is easy to lift small one.

Ans: It is difficult to lift a large stone on the surface of the earth but
it is easy to lift small one because we know that the mass of large
stone is more than the mass of small stone due to which the force
of attraction of the earth is more on large in stone than that on
small one.

j. Mass of the Jupiter is 319 times more than that of the earth
but its acceleration due to gravity is only 2.5 times more than
the earth.

Ans: Mass of the Jupiter is 319 times more than that of the earth
but its acceleration due to gravity is only 2.5 times more than the
earth because the radius of jupiter is nearly 11 times larger than
earth and we know that acceleration due to gravity is inversely
proportional to the square of radius of an object.

k. The weight of a body will be zero during free fall.

Ans: The weight of a body will be zero during free fall because in
this condition the acceleration of a body will be equal to the value
of 'g' due to gravity.

l. A paratrooper does not get injured while jumping on the

earth surface from a flying aeroplane.

Ans: A paratrooper does not get injured while jumping on the

earth from a flying acroplane because the parachute that he is
wearing helps to slow down the acceleration by filling it with air.

m. When a coin and a feather are dropped from the roof of a

building, the coins reaches the ground earlier.

Ans: When a coin and a feather are dropped from the roof of a
building, the coin reaches the ground earlier because the mass of
coin is greater than the feather due to which the earth attract the
coin with greater force than the feather.
5. Diagrammatic questions.
1. The earth revolves around the sun in its orbit as shown in the
figure. Is there any difference in the amount of gravitational
force of the sun towards the earth when the earth moves from
point A to point B on its orbit? Explain.

Ans: The force of gravitation of the sun towards the earth increases
as the earth moves from point A to point B because the radius is
less at B than A and we know that value of 'g' is inversely
proportional to the square of radius.

2. Study the diagram of an experiment to prove a fact and

answer the following questions:

a. Name the experiment given below.

Ans: The name of experiment is "feather and coin" experiment.

b. What conclusion can be drawn from the experiment?

Ans: From this experiment, we knew that in a vaccum the

acceleration due to gravity of a freely falling body will be same
irrespective to their masses.

c. What effect is seen it the tube is filled with air?

Ans: If the tube is filled with air then the coin will fall at first than
the feather as coin has more mass than feather.

3. Study the given diagram and find the gravitational force

between two spherical object.

Solution:
Mass of first body ﴾m₁﴿ = 800 kg
Mass of second body ﴾m₂﴿ = 400 kg
Radius ﴾d﴿ = 8m
Gravitational Constant ﴾G﴿ = 6.67×10‐¹¹Nm²/kg
We know,
F = ﴾Gm₁.m₂﴿/d²
= ﴾6.67×10‐¹¹×800×400﴿/8²
= 3.335×10‐⁷ N
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