GENERAL PHYSICS. ZTF – EHU.

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6 - Gravitation.

1. A sphere of mass 5 kg is located in one pan of an equal-arm balance in equilibrium. A larger

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spherical mass 5.8 × 103 kg is then rolled until it is directly underneath the first mass, the
distance between the centers being 0.5 m. What mass must be placed in the other pan of the
balance in order to restore equilibrium to the system? Assume g = 9.8 m s-2. This method
was used by G. von Jolly, in the 19th century, to determine the value of G, the gravitational
constant. Note: Consider that the arms of the balance are very long and, therefore, neglect
the attraction of the big sphere onto the second mass. Result: 7.895 × 10−7 kg.
2. Consider a satellite orbiting in a circular orbit around the equator of a homogeneous and
spherical planet. If the distance between the surfaces of the satellite and the planet is negligible,
prove that the period of the orbit is a function of the density of the planet only.
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Result: T 2 = Gρ
.
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3. The radius of Jupiter is 7.0 × 104 km and its mass is 2 × 1027 kg. Find the value of the intensity
of the gravitational field at the surface of the planet. Find the minimum velocity that must be
given to an object at the surface of Jupiter so that it can escape from the planet.
Result: g=27.22 m/s; vesc = 6.17 × 104 m/s.
4. In the next a, b and c questions, all results must be given using au (astronomical unit = average
distance from the Earth to the Sun = 1.496×1011 m).
(a) Let’s suppose that a new planet has been found with an orbital period around the Sun of
five years. Which is its average distance from the Sun?
(b) If the orbital period corresponding to comet Halley is roughly 76 years, which is its average
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distance to the Sun?

(c) The period of comet Kohoutek is roughly 106 years. Which is its average distance to the
Sun?
(d) The orbital distances corresponding to Earth and Uranus are 1 au=1.496×1011 m and
2.87×1012 m, respectively. Which is Uranus’ period?
Result: a) 2.92 au=4.37 × 1011 m, b) 17.9 au=2.68 × 1012 m, c) 1 × 104 au=1.496 × 1015 m
d)T=84 year.
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5. Io, one of the moons of Jupiter is in an orbit characterized by an average radius of 422×106 m
and a period of 1.53×105 s.
(a) If we know that a second moon of Jupiter, Calixto, is orbiting with a period of 1.44×106
s, calculate its average orbital distance.
(b) Use the known value of G=6.67×10−11 Nm2 /kg2 to estimate the mass of Jupiter.
Result: a)1.88 × 109 m, b)1.9 × 1027 kg.
6. If we want a particle to move at the Earth’s escape velocity when it is very far from the Earth,
which is the velocity that must be given to it when it is on the surface of the Earth?
Result: v ∼ 15.8 km/s.

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7. Calculate the height that must be given to a geostationary satellite above the equator.
Result: 35.8 × 106 m.

8. A spacecraft is orbiting the Earth at a circular orbit with radius R=20.000 km. How much

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must its speed increase so that it can escape from the Earth’s gravitational field?
Result: ∆v = 1847 m/s.

9. The apogee and perigee heights of Geminis V were 352 km and 107 km, respectively. Find the
eccentricity of its orbit, the maximum and minimum speeds of the spacecraft and the change in
the intensity of the Earth’s gravitatory field between the perigee and the apogee. The Earth’s
radius is 6370 km. Result:  = 0.018; vapog ≈ 7620 m/s; vperig ≈ 7904 m/s; ∆g = 0.68m/s2 .

10. The duration of the Earth’s year, the average distance from the Earth to the Sun and the angle
subtended by the Sun’s diameter and the Earth are T = 365, 25 days, R = 8, 3 light minutes
and α = 320 , respectively. Find the intensity of the gravitational field at the surface of the Sun.
Result: gE =273 m/s2 .
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11. The perigee and apogee heights of satellite Telstar are 950 km and 5650 km. Which is its
period? Result: T = 158 min.

12. The distance from the perihelion of its orbit to the Sun is 0.59 au for comet Halley, while its
orbital period is about 76 years. Calculate the distance between the aphelion and the Sun in m,
considering that 1 au (astronomical unit) corresponds to the average distance from the Earth
to the Sun, 1 au = 149.6 × 109 m. Additional data: RSun = 6.98 × 108 m, MSun = 2 × 1030 kg
Result: 5.28 × 1012 m.

13. A comet describes an elliptical orbit with eccentricity e. Calculate:

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(a) The ratio between the maximum and the minimum distances from the Sun in the orbit.
(b) The ratio between the maximum and the minimum speeds.
rmax 1+e vmax 1+e
Result: rmin
= ;
1−e vmin
= 1−e
.

14. A 10000-kg spacecraft is orbiting the Earth in an elliptical orbit with minimum and maximum
distances to the center of the Earth of 10000 km and 20000 km, respectively. At the moment
the spacecraft passes through the apogee, it expels 500 kg of gas in the direction of motion,
so as to reduce its speed. This way, the spacecraft is directed to a new perigee-distance of
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9000 km.

(a) Which is the energy of the spacecraft?

(b) Write the expression for the speed at the apogee, va , as a function of the perigee and
apogee distances.
(c) Which is the velocity at the apogee for each orbit?
(d) Which is the speed (as measured from the Earth) that the gases are expeled with? In this
computation, take the expulsion of gases as instantaneous.

RE =6370 km. Note: In order to compare with the results at the end of this sheet, use g = 10
m s-2. Result: E = −1.35 × 1011 J; vA = 3678 m/s, vA0 = 3549 m/s, vgas =6130 m/s.

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15. Two satellites with the same mass m, orbit the Earth in two different orbits in the same plane
and in the same direction (see figure). One of the orbits is circular with radius R measured
from the center of the Earth. The other one, however, is elliptical, with perigee and apogee
distances (measured from the center of the Earth) of R and 8R, respectively. Both satellites

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share the same perigee, and when they go through this point they collide to continue orbiting
together. Find:
(a) The speed of the system in the perigee of the new orbit,
vP .
(b) The mechanical energy of the system in the new orbit.
(c) The value of a (semi-major axis) for the new orbit.
(d) The apogee distance of the new orbit, rA , (measured
from the center of the Earth).

Give all your results as a function of G, M (mass of Earth) and R.

q
GM (2m)
Result: vp = 67 GM ; E = − 2(36/23)R ; a = 36 R; rA = 49 R.
R
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