Chapter 06

Gravitational
Q 1: State and explain Newton’s law of Gravitational?
Ans: Newton’s Law of Gravitational: Newton put forward the law of universal gravitational in 1686.
Statement:
“Everybody in this universe attracts every other 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
Centers.
Explanation: Consider two bodies A and B having masses m1 and m2 respectively that are separated by a
Distance from the centers.
According to Newton’s law of gravitational: the gravitational force exerted by body A on body B and
body B on body a is directly proportional to the product of their masses m 1and m2 the force is
inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Fα m1 m2
1
F α …………
r2
m1 m 2
Fα …………..
r2
m1 m2
Or F=G …………………..
r2
Here G is a constant . known as the gravitational constant the value of G = 6.67× 10)-1 N – m2?kg2
As the gravitational force between different objects on the earth is very small so we do not fee it . And
it remains the same on the surface of the earth for the same reason , that is ,it is very small as
compared to heavenly bodies like the earth the sun and other large starts.
Q 2 : Relationship between law of gravitational and Newton’s Third of Motion?
Ans: Newton’s law of gravitational ,states that any particle of matter in the universe attracts any other with a
force varying as the product of the masses and inversely as the square of the distance between them.
Newton’s third states that when two bodies interact ,they apply forces to one another that are equal
in magnitude and opposite in direction the third law is also known as the law of action and reaction.
Thus, when an object A exerts a force on object B, exerts an equal and opposite force on object A .
for example , when an objects is attracted by the earth ‘s gravitational force , the objects attracts the
earth with an equal opposite force.
Q 3: What is a Gravitational Field?
Ans : A gravitational Field is the force field that exist in the space around every mass or group of masses. This
field extends out in all directions, but the magnitude of the gravitational force decreases as the
distance from the object increases. It is measured in units of force per mass, usually Newton per
kilogram (N/kg).
Planet Value of g ms-2
Earth 10
Moon 1.92
Venus 8.87
Mars 3.77
Jupiter 25.95
Sun 274
Mercury 3.59
Saturn 11.08
Uranus 10.67
Neptune 14.07
Acceleration due to gravity “g” at different planets

Q 4: What is weight?
Ans: It is the measure of the force of gravity acting on a body.
The formula for weight is given by
W = mg
As weight is a force its S l unit is also the same as that of force. SI unit of weight is Newton is (N).
Weight is a consequence of the universal law of gravitation: any two objects, because of their masses,
tract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of move massive objects, of
course, weigh more in the same location: the farther an object is from the Earth, the smaller is its
weight .
Q 5: How would the value of g and G affected if the mass of the earth becomes four times?
G Me
Ans: (i) A g = R 2
e
It means that “g” directly proportional to the mass of the earth. If the mass of the decreases, the value
of “g” will also decrease if the mass of the earth increases, the value of “g” will also increase.
If the mass of the earth becomes four times, the value of “g” will also become four times. It means “g”
will increase four times.
(ii) “G” is a gravitational constant. It remains the same through out the universe. If the mass of the earth
becomes four times the value of “G” will not change will remain the same as it is a constant. Its value
is 6.67×10-11 N –m2/ kg2.
Q 6: How can one determine orbital velocity and time period of satellite orbiting around earth?
Ans: Newton’s Law of Gravitation in the motion of satellite
In space, a satellite experiences gravitational force exerted by Earth. The direction of this force is pointing
towards the Centre of Earth. In essence, when a satellite is orbiting around Earth due to gravity , the
centripetal force (circular motion) is strictly caused by gravitational force.
Fc =Fg
mv 2 GMm
−
r r2
Gm
V2 =
r
Gm
V or bital =∫
r
By rearranging the equation (see above), we can determine the velocity needed for the satellite to
achieve this circular motion. This shows that speed of satellite is independent of its mass Hence every
satellite irrespective of its mass (very large or small ) has the same speed in the same orbit. This is called
the orbital velocity as circular motion in this context is simply orbiting around Earth.
The time period of a satellite can be calculated as ;
The satellite travels around the entire circumference of the circle ____ which is 2 πτ
2 πτ
If p is the radius of the orbit ___ in the period T this means the orbital speed must be
T
GmE 2 πτ
∫ r =
T
If you slove this for the period of the satellite .you get
r3
T=2 πτ ∫
GmE
Q 7: State some uses of Artificial satellite ?
Ans: Artificial satellite can be used for:
 Communications satellite television and phone calls
 Earth observation __ including weather forecasting tracking storms and pollution,
spying and satellite photography
 Navigation--- including the Global Positioning System (GPS):
 Astronomy _ looking into cuter space from our solar system
Mass and radius of different objects
Sun 1.99×1030 6.96×108
Moon 7.36×1022 1.74×106
Mercury 3.33×1023 2.44×106
Venus 4.87×1024 6.05×106
Earth 5.97×1024 6.38×106
Mars 6.42×1023 3.40×106
Jupiter 1.90×1027 6.91×107
Saturn 5.68×1026 6.03×107
Uranus 8.68×1025 2.56×107
Neptune 1.08×1026 2.48×107