GRAVITATION

- Every particle in the universe attract with each other with a force
that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and
inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
(Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation)
 Motion of the moon around the Earth

Motion of the planets around the Sun

 Formation of galaxies

Formation of clusters of galaxy

 Why planets, like Earth, are
round?

Why there are ocean tides?

 𝑚1 𝑚2
𝐹1 = 𝐹2 = 𝐺
𝑟2
or

𝑚1 𝑚2
𝐹=𝐺
𝑟2
where

𝑚1 mass of object 1

𝑚2 mass of object 2

𝑟 mass of object 3

𝑁𝑚 2
𝐺 = 6.67𝑥10−11
𝑘𝑔2
Sample Problem: Determine the force of gravitational attraction
between the earth (m = 5.98 x 1024 kg) and a 70-kg physics student if
the student is standing at sea level, a distance of 6.38 x 106 m from
earth's center.

Given:

𝑚1 = 5.98𝑥1024 𝑘𝑔 (Earth’s mass)

𝑚2 = 70𝑘𝑔 Required:

𝑟 = 6.38𝑥106 𝑚 𝐹 =?
 Apply:

𝑚1 𝑚2
𝐹=𝐺
𝑟2

Thus:

𝑁 ⋅ 𝑚 2 5.98𝑥1024 𝑘𝑔 70𝑘𝑔
𝐹 = 6.67𝑥10−11 = 686.0𝑁
𝑘𝑔2 6
6.38𝑥10 𝑚
On the Earth’s surface, the Earth’s gravitational
force on an object is equal to the weight of the
object:

𝑤 = 𝑚𝑔

𝑚
𝑤 = 70𝑘𝑔 9.8 2 = 686.0𝑁
𝑠
If the required quantity is the separation distance:

𝐺𝑚1 𝑚2
𝑟=
𝐹

If the required quantity is m1:

𝑟2𝐹
𝑚1 =
𝐺𝑚2

If the required quantity is m2:

𝑟2𝐹
𝑚2 =
𝐺𝑚1
 CIRCULAR MOTION

- is a movement of an object along the circumference of a

circle or rotation along a circular path.
- when a particle moves in a circular path with constant
speed the particle’s acceleration is always directed
towards the center of the circle.

- the particle’s acceleration is also called centripetal

acceleration.

- for any particle moving around the Earth, the centripetal

force is the force of gravity given by Newton’s universal
law of gravitation.
 𝑣2
𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑 = radial acceleration
𝑟

2𝜋𝑟
𝑇= period
𝑣

4𝜋 2 𝑅2
𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑 = radial acceleration
𝑇2
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
𝐾𝐸𝑖 + 𝑃𝐸𝑖 = 𝐾𝐸𝑓 + 𝑃𝐸𝑓

final point
1 2 1
𝑚𝑣𝑖 + 𝑚𝑔𝑦𝑖 = 𝑚𝑣𝑓2 + 𝑚𝑔𝑦𝑓
2 2

y
For y =r and r is very long range (even
up to infinity)

initial point
𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑃𝐸 = −𝐺
𝑟
 1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸 1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑣𝑖 − 𝐺 = 𝑚𝑣𝑓 − 𝐺
2 𝑟𝑖 2 𝑟𝑓

Calculation of the escape velocity from the surface of the

Earth

𝑚: mass of any object (maybe satellite or a spacecraft)

 ME mass of the Earth

ri initial distance from the center of the Earth

rf some final distance from the center of the Earth

Then:

1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸 1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑣𝑖 − 𝐺 = 𝑚𝑣𝑓 − 𝐺
2 𝑅 2 𝑟𝑓

at some point very far from Earth, vf = 0 and rf

approximately infinite.
 0 0

1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸 1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑣𝑖 − 𝐺 = 𝑚𝑣𝑓 − 𝐺
2 𝑅 2 𝑟𝑓

1 2 𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑣𝑖 − 𝐺 =0
2 𝑅

1 𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑣𝑖2 = 𝐺
2 𝑅

2𝐺𝑀𝐸 2𝐺𝑀𝐸
𝑣𝑖 = → 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 =
𝑅 𝑅
but
𝑔𝑅2
𝑀𝐸 =
𝐺

𝑔𝑅2
2𝐺 𝐺
𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 =
thus 𝑅

𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 = 2𝑔𝑅𝐸

Escape velocity from the surface of the Earth

 𝑚 𝑚
𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 = 2 9.8 2 6.38𝑥106 𝑚 = 11,182.49
𝑠 𝑠

Calculation of the mass of the Earth

Key concept: close or on the

surface of the Earth the weight of
an object is equal to the
gravitational force exerted by the
Earth on the object:
𝑤 = 𝑚𝑔

𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝐹=𝐺 2
𝑅𝐸

𝑚𝑀𝐸
𝑚𝑔 = 𝐺 2
𝑅𝐸

𝑚
𝑔𝑅𝐸2 9.8 6.38𝑥106 𝑚
𝑀𝐸 = → 𝑀𝐸 = 𝑠2 = 5.98𝑥1024 𝑘𝑔
𝐺 𝑁 ⋅ 𝑚2
6.67𝑥10−11
𝑘𝑔2
 Calculating the Mass of the Moon:

On July 19, 1969 the Apollo 11 Command Service Module and LEM entered
Lunar orbit. The Orbit period was 2.0 hours, at a distance of 1737 km from
the lunar center. From this information, calculate the mass of the moon.

𝑇 = 2.0ℎ𝑟𝑠 = 7200𝑠

r= 1737𝑘𝑚 = 1.74𝑥106 𝑚

𝑀𝑚 =?
Key concept: The radial force that caused the satellite in its orbit
around the Moon is the gravitational force that the Moon exerts on
the satellite.

That is:

𝑚𝑠 𝑀𝑚 𝑚𝑠 𝑣 2
𝐹𝐺 = 𝐺 𝐹𝐺 =
𝑟2 𝑟

Thus:

𝑚𝑠 𝑀𝑚 𝑣2
𝐺 = 𝑚𝑠
𝑟2 𝑟

After cancelling out the ms and r:

 𝐺𝑀𝑚
𝑣2 =
𝑟

Which gives

𝑣 2𝑟
𝑀𝑚 =
𝐺
but

2𝜋𝑟 2
4𝜋 2 𝑟 2
𝑣= →𝑣 =
𝑇 𝑇2

4𝜋 2 𝑟 2 4𝜋 2 1.74𝑥106 𝑚 2 𝑚
𝑣2 = = = 2.4𝑥106
𝑇2 7200𝑠 2 𝑠
thus

𝑚
𝑣 2𝑟 2.4𝑥106 1.74𝑥106 𝑚
𝑀𝑚 = → 𝑀𝑚 = 𝑠 = 6.26𝑥1022 𝑘𝑔
𝐺 𝑁⋅ 𝑚2
6.67𝑥10−11
𝑘𝑔2

****************