GRAVITATION

Gravitation
Gravitation
Earth attracts everything towards it by an unseen force of attraction. This
force of attraction is known as gravitation or gravitational pull.
Centripetal force
When a body undergoes circular motion, it experiences a force that acts
towards the centre of the circle. This centre-seeking force is called a
centripetal force.
Universal Law of Gravitation

Every object in the universe attracts other object by a force of attraction,
called gravitation, which is directly proportional to the product of masses of
the objects and inversely proportional to the square of distance between
them. This is called Law of Gravitation or Universal Law of Gravitation.
Let masses (M) and (m) of two objects are distance (d) apart. Let F be the
attractional force between two masses.
Importance of The Universal Law of Gravitation

 It binds us to the earth.
 It is responsible for the motion of the moon around the earth.
 It is responsible for the motion of planets around the Sun.
 Gravitational force of moon causes tides in seas on earth.
Free Fall
When an object falls from any height under the influence of gravitational
force only, it is known as free fall.
Acceleration Due to Gravity

When an object falls towards the earth there is a change in its acceleration due to
the gravitational force of the earth. So this acceleration is called acceleration due to
gravity.
The acceleration due to gravity is denoted by g.
The unit of g is same as the unit of acceleration, i.e., ms−2
Mathematical Expression for g
From the second law of motion, force is the product of mass
and acceleration.
F = ma
For free fall, acceleration is replaced by acceleration due to gravity.
Therefore, force becomes:
F = mg …. (i)
But from Universal Law of Gravitation,
Factors Affecting the Value of g

 As the radius of the earth increases from the poles to the equator, the value
of g becomes greater at the poles than at the equator.
 As we go at large heights, value of g decreases.
Difference between Gravitation Constant (G) and Gravitational

Acceleration (g)
S. No. Gravitation Constant (G) Gravitational acceleration (g)
1. Its value is 6.67×10-11Nm2/kg2. Its value is 9.8 m/s2.

2. It is a scalar quantity. It is a vector quantity.
3. Its value remains constant always and Its value varies at various places.
everywhere.
4. Its unit is Nm2/kg2. Its unit is m/s2.
Mass & weight

Mass (m)
 The mass of a body is the quantity of matter contained in it.
 Mass is a scalar quantity which has only magnitude but no direction.
 Mass of a body always remains constant and does not change from place to
place.
 SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg).
 Mass of a body can never be zero.
Weight (W)
 The force with which an object is attracted towards the centre of the earth, is
∴ W = mg
called the weight of the object.
 As weight always acts vertically downwards, therefore, weight has both

magnitude and direction and thus it is a vector quantity.
 The weight of a body changes from place to place, depending on mass of
object.
 The SI unit of weight is Newton.
 Weight of the object becomes zero if g is zero.
Weight of an Object on the Surface of Moon

weight of the object on the moon = (1/6) × its weight on the earth.
Thrust and Pressure
Thrust: Force exerted by an object perpendicular to the surface is called

thrust.
Pressure: Pressure is defined as thrust or force per unit area on a surface.
 Pressure = Thurst/Area
 SI unit of pressure is Newton/meter2 (N/m2). (or) Pascal (Pa)
Factors affecting Pressure

Pressure depends on two factors:
(i) Force applied

(ii) Area of surface over which force acts
Buoyancy & Buoyant Force

 Force applied by the fluid on a solid which is partially or fully submerged in
liquid, is called the buoyant force and this phenomenon is named as
buoyancy.
 Buoyant force acts in upward direction and it depends on the density of the
fluid.
Factors affecting the Buoyant Force
Magnitude of the buoyant force depends on two factors:

 Volume of the object immersed in liquid
 Density of the liquid
Archimedes’ Principle
 It states that when a body is immersed fully or partially in a fluid, it
experiences an upward force that is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced
by it.
Applications of Archimedes’ Principle:
 It is used in designing ships and submarines.
 It is used in determining relative density of substances.
 Hydrometers used to determine the density of liquids, work on this principle.
 Lactometers used to determine purity of milk, are also based on this
principle.
It is because of this principle that ship made of iron and steel floats in water
whereas a small piece of iron like nail, sinks in it.
Density (ρ)
 The mass per unit volume is called density of an object.
 Density (ρ) = Mass(M)/Volume(V)
 SI unit of density = kg/m3
Relative density
 It is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water.
 Since relative density is a ratio of similar quantities, it has no unit.

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Gravitation

Universal Law of Gravitation

Importance of The Universal Law of Gravitation

Acceleration Due to Gravity

For free fall, acceleration is replaced by acceleration due to gravity.

Therefore, force becomes:

Factors Affecting the Value of g

Difference between Gravitation Constant (G) and Gravitational

1. Its value is 6.67×10-11Nm2/kg2. Its value is 9.8 m/s2.

Mass & weight

 As weight always acts vertically downwards, therefore, weight has both

Weight of an Object on the Surface of Moon

Thrust: Force exerted by an object perpendicular to the surface is called

Factors affecting Pressure

(i) Force applied

Buoyancy & Buoyant Force

Factors affecting the Buoyant Force

Magnitude of the buoyant force depends on two factors:

 Since relative density is a ratio of similar quantities, it has no unit.

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