Gravitation

1. If the Earth has a mass nine times and radius twice of the planet Mars, calculate the maximum velocity
required by a rocket to pull out of the gravitational force of Mars. Given: escape velocity on the surface of
Earth = 11.2 km s−1. [5.28 km s−1 ]

2. The radius of a planet is R. A satellite revolves round it in a circle of radius r. The time period of revolution is
2 3
4π r
T. Determine the acceleration due to gravity of the planet at its surface. [ g= 2 2 ]
T R

3. A satellite revolves in an orbit close to the surface of a planet of density 6.3 g cm−3. Calculate the time period
of the satellite. Given: G=6.6× 10−8 cgs units, radius of Earth = 6.4 × 108 cm. [ 4762 s ]

4. The world’s first artificial satellite ( Sputnik I ) launched by U.S.S.R. was circling the Earth at a distance of
896 km. Calculate its orbital speed and period of revolution. Take radius of the Earth = 6400 km and g =
−2
9.8 m s . [ 1 hour 43 minute 3 s ]

5. A sky laboratory of mass 2 ×103 kg is raised from a circular orbit of radius 2R to a circular orbit of radius 3R.
What is the approximate work done? Given: g=10 ms−2 and R = 6400 km. [ 2×10 10 J ]

6. Calculate the change in the energy of a 500 kg satellite when it falls from an altitude of 200 km to 199 km. If
this change takes place during one orbit, calculate the retarding force on the satellite. Given: mass of earth =
6 ×10 24kg and radius of earth = 6400 km. [ −4 ×106 J, 0.1 N ]

7. A 400 kg satellite is in a circular orbit of radius 2 RE about the Earth. How much energy is required to transfer
it to a circular orbit of radius 4 RE ? What are the changes in the kinetic and potential energies?

[ −3.13 ×109 J ,−6.26 × 109 J ]

8. A satellite orbits the Earth at a height of 500 km from its surface. Calculate (i) kinetic energy (ii) potential
energy (iii) total energy. Mass of the satellite is 300 kg, mass of the Earth is 6 ×10 24kg, radius of the Earth is
6.4 × 106 m and G is 6.7 ×10−11N m2 kg−2. Will your answer alter if the Earth were to shrink suddenly to half
its size? [ 8.70 ×109 J, −17.4 ×10 9 J, −8.70 ×10 9 J ]

9. Two particles having masses m and M attract each other according to the law of gravitation. Initially they are

at rest at an infinite distance apart. Show that their velocity of approach is

separation.
√ 2 G(M +m)
a
where a is their

10. The masses and the radii of the Earth and the Moon are M 1, R1 and M 2, R2 respectively. Their centres are at
a distance d apart. What is the minimum speed with which a particle of mass m should be projected from a

point midway between the two centres so as to escape to infinity? [√ 4G

d
(M 1 + M 2) ]
11. If the Earth is ¼ of its present distance from the Sun, then what is the duration of the year? [ 0.125 year ]
12. The distances of two planets from the sun are 1013 m and 1012 m respectively. Calculate the ratio of the time

periods and the speeds of the two planets. [

10 √10 ,
1
√10 ]
13. The radius of Earth’s orbit is 1.5 ×108 km and that of Mars 2.5 ×1011 m. In how many years the Mars
completes its one revolution? [ 2.15 years ]

1
14. A sphere of mass 40 kg is attracted by another sphere of mass 15 kg, with a force of mg wt. Find the
40
value of gravitational constant if their centres are 0.40 m apart. [ 6.54 × 10−11 Nm2 kg−2 ]

15. Consider two solid uniform spherical objects of the same density ρ . One has a radius R and the other a
radius 2R. They are in outer space where the gravitational fields from other objects are negligible. If they
are at rest with their surfaces touching, what is the contact force between the objects due to their

gravitational attraction? [
128
81
2 4 2
Gπ R ρ
]
16. Four spheres form the corners of a square whose side is 2.0 cm long. What are the magnitude and direction
of the net gravitational force from them on a central sphere with mass m5 = 250 kg?

[ 0.017 N, towards the 300 kg sphere ]

17. Compare the gravitational acceleration of the Earth due to attraction of the Sun with that due to attraction of
the Moon. Given: mass of Sun = 1.99 ×1030 kg, mass of moon = 7.35 ×1022 kg, distance of Sun from Earth
= 1.49 ×1011 m, distance of Moon from Earth = 3.84 ×10 8 m. [ 179.8 : 1 ]

18. If a planet existed whose mass and radius were both half those of Earth, what would be the value of
acceleration due to gravity on its surface as compared to what it is on the surface of Earth? [2]

19. A body weighs 90 kg on the surface of Earth. How much will it weigh on the surface of Mars whose mass is
1 1
and radius that of the Earth? [ 40 kg
9 2
wt ]

20. The radius of Earth is 6000 km. What will be the weight of a 120 kg body if it is taken to a height of 2000
km above sea level, i.e., the surface of the Earth? [ 67.5 kgf ]

21. At what height from the surface of Earth will the value of 'g' be reduced by 40% from the value at the
surface? Radius of Earth = 6400 km. [ 1.86 ×103 km ]

22. A mass of 5 kg is weighed on a balance at the top of a tower 20 m high. The mass is then suspended from
the pan of the balance by a fine wire 20 m long and weighed. Find the change in weight in mgf. Assume that
the radius of Earth is 6330 km. [ 31.6 mg wt ]

23. At what height will a man's weight become half his weight on the surface of Earth? Given: R = radius of
Earth. [ 0.414 R ]

24. At what height above the surface of Earth, the value of 'g' becomes 25% of its value on the Earth? Given:
radius of Earth = 6400 km. [ 6400 km ]
 1
25. Compare the weights of a stone when it is (i) km above the surface of Earth and (ii) 1 km below the
2
surface of Earth. [1]

1
26. The acceleration due to gravity at a height th radius of the Earth above the Earth's surface is 9 ms−2. Its
20
value at a point at an equal distance below the surface of Earth is gh . Calculate the value of gh . [ 9.5 ms−2 ]

27. At what depth, the weight of a body becomes half the weight on the surface of Earth? Given: R = 6400 km.

[ 3200 km ]

28. Assuming the Earth to be a perfect homogeneous sphere of radius 6400 km, find how much value of g will
decrease when you reach a place 1600 km below the surface of Earth. Given: acceleration due to gravity on
the surface of Earth = 9.8 ms−2. [ 2.45 ms−2 ]

29. The escape velocity of a projectile on the Earth’s surface is 11.2 kms−1. A body is projected out with twice
this velocity. What is the speed of the body far away from the Earth i.e., at ‘ infinity ’? Ignore the presence
of the Sun and other planets, etc. [ 19.4 kms−1 ]

30. Prove that the gravitational field and gravitational potential at any point on the surface of Earth are g and gR
respectively. The Earth may be assumed to be a sphere of uniform density.

31. How much energy must be imparted to a 400 kg mass so that it escapes from the Earth? Given: v e = 11.2
kms−1. [ 2.5 ×1010 J ]

32. What should be the percentage increase in the kinetic energy of a satellite to enable it to escape? [ 100 % ]

33. Compare the escape velocities from two planets of equal radii but different masses M 1∧M 2.
[√ ]
M1
M2

34. Compare the escape velocities from two planets of equal densities but different radii R1∧R 2.
[ ]
R1
R2

35. A spaceship is launched into a circular orbit close to the surface of Earth. What additional velocity has now
to be imparted to the spaceship in the orbit to overcome the gravitational pull? Given: radius of Earth =
6370 km, g = 10 ms−2. [ 3.3 kms−1 ]

36. The escape velocity of a particle on Earth (radius R and mass M) is 11.2 kms−1. What is the escape velocity
R M
on another planet with radius and mass . [ 7.9 kms−1
2 4
]

37. The mass of the Earth is 9 times that of Mars. The radius of the Earth is twice that of Mars. The escape
velocity on the Earth is 12 kms−1. What is the escape velocity on the Mars? [ 5.7 kms−1 ]

38. Prove that the Moon would depart for ever if its speed were increased by nearly 42%.
39. What is the escape velocity for a body which is at a distance r from the centre of Earth? [√ ] 2 GM
r

40. An artificial satellite circled around the Earth at a height of 3400 km. Calculate its orbital velocity and
period of revolution. Radius of Earth = 6400 km and g = 9.8 ms−2. [ 6400 ms−1, 9.6 × 103 s ]

41. Consider an Earth satellite so positioned that it appears stationary to an observer on Earth and serves the
purpose of a fixed relay station for intercontinental transmission of television and other communication.
What would be the height at which the satellite should be positioned and what would be the direction of its
motion? Given: radius of Earth = 6400 km and acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Earth = 9.8 ms−2
. [ 3.59 ×10 4 km, anti-clockwise direction ]

42. If we treat the Earth as a satellite of the Sun, calculate the Sun-Earth distance from the following data:

Mass of Sun = 2 ×1033 g, period of revolution of the Earth round the Sun = 365 days, Gravitational constant,
G = 6.67 ×10−8 dyne cm2 g−2 , π 2 = 9.87. [ 1.498 ×108 km ]

43. A satellite revolves around a planet in an orbit just above the planet's surface. Taking G = 6.66 ×10−8 dyne
2 −2 −3
cm g and mean density of the planet = 8.0 g cm , find the period of the satellite. [ 4.2 ×10 3 s ]

44. Calculate the total energy of an artificial satellite circling round the Earth in an orbit of radius r? [ −GMm
2r ]
45. Two bodies of masses m 1 and m2 are placed at a distance r apart. Show that at the position where the
−G
gravitational field due to them is zero, the potential is given by (m1 +m2 +2 √ m1 m2 ).
r

46. A solid sphere of uniform density and radius R exerts a gravitational force of attraction F 1 on a particle
R
placed at P. The distance of P from the centre of the sphere is 2R. A spherical cavity of radius is now
2
made in the sphere. The sphere ( with cavity ) exerts a gravitational force F 2 on the same particle at P.
F1 9
Calculate the ratio . [ ]
F2 7

47. A body is projected vertically upwards from the surface of the Earth so as to reach a height equal to the
radius of the Earth. Neglecting resistance due to air, calculate the initial speed which should be imparted to
the body. Take M = 5.98 ×1024 kg and R = 6.4 × 106 m. [ 7.89 kms−1 ]

48. A planet of mass M moves around the Sun along an ellipse so that its minimum distance from the Sun is
equal to r and the maximum distance equal to R. Making use of Kepler’s laws, find its period of revolution

[ √ ]
3
(r + R)
around the Sun. Take mass of Sun as M s . T =π
2 GM s

49. Suppose there existed a planet that went around the Sun twice as fast as the Earth. What would be its orbital
 size as compared to that of the Earth? [ 0.63 AU ]

50. Io, one of the satellites of Jupiter, has an orbital period of 1.769 days and the radius of the orbit is 4.22 ×10 8
m. Show that the mass of Jupiter is about one-thousandth that of the Sun.

51. Let us assume that our galaxy consists of 2.5 ×1011 stars each of one solar mass. How long will a star at a
distance of 50000 ly from the galactic centre take to complete one revolution? Take the diameter of the
Milky way to be 105 ly. [ 3.549 ×108 years ]

52. A body weighs 63 N on the surface of the Earth. What is the gravitational force on it due to the Earth at a
height equal to half the radius of the Earth? [ 28 N ]

53. The escape speed of a projectile on the Earth’s surface is 11.2 kms−1. A body is projected out with thrice this
speed. What is the speed of the body far away from the Earth? Ignore the presence of the Sun and other
planets. [ 31.68 kms−1 ]

54. A simple pendulum has a time period T 1 when on the earth’s surface, and T 2 when taken to a height R above
the earth’s surface, where R is the radius of the earth. What is the value of T 2 /T 1? [2]

55. A geo-stationary satellite orbits around the earth in a circular orbit of radius 36000 km. Then what will be
the time period of a spy satellite orbiting a few hundred km above the earth’s surface ( Rearth =6400 km)?

[2h]

56. Find the period of oscillation of a simple pendulum of length L suspended from the roof of a vehicle which

moves without friction down an inclined plane of inclination a. [ √ ]

2π
l
cos a

57. Two bodies of masses m 1 and m2 are initially at rest placed infinite distance apart. They are then allowed to
move towards each other under mutual gravitational attraction. Show that their relative velocity of approach

at separation r between them is v=

√ 2G
r
( √ m1 + √ m2).

58. A spherical cavity is made inside a sphere of density p. If its centre lies at a distance l from the centre of the
4π
sphere, show that the gravitational field strength of the field inside the cavity is E= Gl p.
3

59. A particle is projected upward from the surface of the earth (radius R) with a K.E. equal to half the
minimum value needed for it to escape. To which height does it rise above the surface of the earth? [ h = R ]

60. A satellite orbits the earth at a height of 400 km above the surface. How much energy must be expended to
rocket the satellite out of the earth’s gravitational influence? Mass of the satellite = 200 kg, mass of the earth
= 6.0 ×1024 kg, radius of the earth = 6.4 × 106m, G = 6.67 ×10−11 Nm2 kg−2. [ 5.89 ×109 J ]
 MCQ
1. A simple pendulum has a time period T 1 when on the earth’s surface, and T 2 when taken to height R above
the earth’s surface, where R is the radius of the earth. The value of T 2 /T 1 is

(a) 1 (b) √ 2 (c) 4 (d) 2

2. If the distance between the earth and the sun were half its present value, the number of days in year would
have been

(a) 64.5 (b) 129 (c) 182.5 (d) 730

3. A geo-stationary satellite orbits around the earth in a circular orbit of radius 36000 km. Then, the time period
of a spy satellite orbiting a few hundred km above the earth’s surface ( Rearth =6400 km ) will approximately
be

(a) (1/2) h (b) 1 h (c) 2 h (d) 4 h

4. A geostationary satellite is orbiting the earth at a height of 6 R above the surface of the earth, R being the
radius of the earth. The time period of another satellite at a height of 2.5 R from the surface of earth is

(a) 6 √ 2 hours (b) 6 hours (c) 6 √ 3 hours (d) 10 hours

5. An artificial satellite moving in a circular orbit around the earth has total (kinetic + potential) energy E0 . Its
potential energy is

(a) −E0 (b) 1.5 E0 (c) 2 E0 (d) E0

6. The magnitudes of the gravitational field at distances r 1 and r 2 from the centre of a uniform sphere of radius
R and mass m are F 1 and F 2 respectively. Then

F 1 r1
(a) = , if r 1< R and r 2 < R
F 2 r2
 2
F 1 r2
(b) = 2 , if r 1> R and r 2 > R
F 2 r1

F 1 r1
(c) = , if r 1> R and r 2 > R
F 2 r2

F 1 r 21
(d) = 2 , if r 1< R and r 2 < R
F 2 r2

7. A spherical body of radius R consists of a fluid of constant density and is in equilibrium under its own
gravity. If P(r) is the pressure at r(r<R), then the correct option (s) is (are)

3R
P (r=)
4 63
(a) P( r=0 ) = 0 (b) =
2R 80
P(r= )
3

3R R
P (r= ) P (r= )
5 16 2 20
(c) = (d) =
2R 21 R 27
P(r= ) P (r= )
5 3

8. If suddenly the gravitational force of attraction between earth and a satellite revolving around it becomes
zero, then the satellite will

(a) continue to move in its orbit with same velocity

(b) move tangentially to the original orbit with the same velocity

(c) become stationary in its orbit

(d) move towards the earth

9. Average density of the earth

(a) does not depend on g

(b) is a complex function of g

(c) is directly proportional to g

(d) is inversely proportional to g

10. Two spherical bodies of mass M and 5M and radii R and 2R respectively are released in free space with
initial separation between their centres equal to 12R. If they attract each other due to gravitational force
only, then the distance covered by the smaller body just before collision is

(a) 4.5 R (b) 7.5 R (c) 1.5 R (d) 2.5 R

11. The height at which acceleration due to gravity becomes g/9 (where g = the acceleration to gravity on the
 surface of the earth) in terms of R, the radius of the earth is

R R
(a) 2R (b) (c) (d) √ 2R
√2 2

12. Two bodies of masses m and 4m are placed at a distance r. The gravitational potential at a point on the line
joining them where the gravitational field is zero is

−4 Gm −6 Gm −9 Gm
(a) zero (b) (c) (d)
r r r

13. If g is the acceleration due to gravity on the earth’s surface, the gain in the potential energy of an object of
mass m raised from the surface of the earth to a height equal to the radius R of the earth, is

1 1
(a) mgR (b) mgR (c) 2 mgR (d) mgR
4 2

14. The kinetic energy needed to project a body of mass m from the earth’s surface ( radius R ) to infinity is

(a) mgR/2 (b) 2mgR (c) mgR (d) mgR/4

15. The escape velocity of a body depends upon mass as

❑
(a) m0 (b) m (c) m2 (d) m3

16. The time period of an earth satellite in circular orbit is independent of

(a) the mass of the satellite

(b) radius of its orbit

(c) both the mass and radius of the orbit

(d) neither the mass of the satellite nor the radius of its orbit

17. The time period of a satellite of earth is 5 hours. If the separation between the earth and the satellite is
increased to 4 times the previous value, the new time period will become

(a) 10 hours (b) 80 hours (c) 40 hours (d) 20 hours

18. A particle is moving with a uniform speed in a circular orbit of radius R under a central force inversely
proportional to the nth power of R. If the period of rotation of the particle is T, then
n
(a) T ∝ R 3/ 2, for any n (b) T ∝ R 2 +1

(c) T ∝ R(n +1)/ 2 (d) T ∝ R n/ 2

19. A solid sphere of mass M and radius R has a spherical cavity of radius R/2 such that the centre of cavity is
at a distance R/2 from the centre of the sphere. A point mass m is placed inside the cavity at a distance R/4
from the centre of sphere. The gravitational pull between the sphere and the point mass m is
 (a) 11 GMm/ R2 (b) 14 GMm /R 2

(c) GMm /2 R2 (d) GMm /R 2

20. If the density of earth is doubled keeping its radius constant, then acceleration due to gravity g is

(a) 20 m/s 2 (b) 10 m/s 2 (c) 5 m/s 2 (d) 2.5 m/s 2

21. If M is the mass of the earth and R its radius, the ratio of the gravitational acceleration and the gravitational
constant is
2
R M M
(a) (b) 2 (c) MR 2 (d)
M R R

22. The escape velocity of 10 g body from the earth is 11.2 kms−1. Ignoring air resistances, the escape velocity
of 10 kg of the iron ball from the earth will be

(a) 0.0112 kms−1 (b) 0.112 kms−1 (c) 11.2 kms−1 (d) 0.56 kms−1

23. Which of the following quantities does not depend upon the orbital radius of the satellite?
2 2
T T2 T T
(a) (b) (c) (d)
R R R
2
R
3

24. A satellite is revolving around the earth with a kinetic energy E. The minimum addition of kinetic energy
needed to make it escape from its orbit is

(a) 2E (b) √ E (c) E/2 (d) E