UNIT 6: GRAVITATION

CHAPTER 12: GRAVITATION: PLANETS AND SATELLITES

NUMERICAL EXAMPLES

1. The weight of a person on the earth is 80 kg. What will be his weight on the moon ? Mass
of the moon = 7.34 x 1022 kg, radius = 1.75 x 106 m and gravitational constant G = 6.67 x
10-11 N m2 kg-2. What will be the mass of the person at the moon? If this person can jump
2 metre high on the earth, how much high can he jump at the moon? If he can walk 100
m in 1 m on the earth, then how much will he walk in 1 minute on the moon?
2. The acceleration due to gravity at moon’s surface is 1.67 m/s 2. If the radius of moon is
1.74 × 106 m, calculate its mass. Take G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
3. An astronaut on moon measures acceleration due to gravity to be 1.7 ms -2. He knows that
the radius of moon is about 0.27 times that of earth. What is his estimate of the ratio of
the mass of earth to that of moon? The acceleration due to gravity on earth is 9.8 m s-2.
4. At what height above the earth’s surface the acceleration due to gravity will be 1/9 th of its
value at the earth’s surface? Radius of earth is 6400 km.
5. The radius of the earth is approximately 6000 km. What will be your weight at 6000 km
above the surface of the earth? At 12000 km above? At 18000 km above?
6. Assuming the earth to be a sphere of uniform mass density, how much would a body
weigh half way down to the centre of the Earth if it weighed 250 N on the surface.
7. If the earth were a perfect sphere of radius 6.37 x 10 6 m rotating about its axis with a
period of 1 day (= 8.64 x 104 s), how much would the acceleration due to gravity (g)
differ from the poles to the equator?
8. Calculate that imaginary angular velocity of the earth for which effective acceleration due
to gravity at the equator becomes zero. In this condition what will be the length (in hours)
of the day? (Re = 6400 km, g = 10 m s-2)
9. Determine the speed with which the earth would have to rotate about its axis so that
person on the equator would weigh 3/5 th of that if the earth were at
rest.Taketheequatorialradius 6400 km.
10. Three mass-points, each of mass m, are placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle of
side l. What is the gravitational field and potential due to the three masses at the centroid
of the triangle?
11. Three particles, each of mass m, are situated at the vertices of an equilateral triangle of
side length a. The only forces acting on the particles are their mutual gravitational forces.
It is desired that each particle moves in a circle while maintaining the original mutual
separation a. Find the initial velocity that should be given to each particle and also the
time-period of the circular motion.
12. Calculate the gravitational field strength and the gravitational potential at the surface of
the moon. The mass of the moon is 7.34 x 1022 kg and its radius is 1.74 x 106 m. (G =
6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg2).
13. At a point above the surface of the earth, the gravitational potential is -5.12 x 10 7 J/kg and
the acceleration due to gravity is 6.4 m s -2. Assuming the mean radius of the earth to be
6400 km, calculate the height of this point above the earth’s surface.
14. Assuming gravitational potential to be zero at infinity, compute the gravitational potential
and potential energy of a body of mass 0.1 kg (a) at the surface of earth and (b) at a
height above the surface of earth equal to its mean radius R e Given : G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2
kg-2, mass of earth, Me = 5.98 x 1024 kg and Re = 6.37 x 106 m.
15. Find the potential energy of a system of four particles of equal masses placed at the
corners of a square of side l. Also attend potential at the centre of the square.
16. A geostationary satellite orbits the earth at a height of about 36000 km from the surface
of the earth. Find the potential due to earth’s gravity at the site of this satellite. The mass
and the radius of earth are 6.0 x 10 24 kg and 6400 km respectively. Take G = 6.67 x 10- 11
N m2 kg-2.
17. Two uniform solid spheres of same radius R, but of masses M and 4 M are fixed at a
distance 6 R apart. A projectile of mass m is projected from the surface of the lighter
sphere (mass M) directly towards the centre of the heavier sphere (mass 4 M). Find
expression for the minimum speed u of the projectile so that is reaches the surface of the
heavier sphere.
18. A satellite is revolving in a circular orbit at a distance of 2620 km from the surface of the
earth. Calculate the orbital speed and the period of revolution of the satellite. Radius of
the earth = 6380 km, mass of the earth, Me = 6 x 1024 kg and G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
19. A remote-sensing satellite of earth revolves in a circular orbit at a height of 0.25 x 10 6 m
above the surface of earth. Find the orbital speed and the period of revolution of the
satellite Given: earth’s radius, Re = 6.38 x 106 m and g = 9.8 m s-2.
20. The period of lunar orbit around the earth is 27.3 days, and the radius of the orbit is 3.9 x
105 km. Estimate the mass of earth. Given: G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2 kg-2.
21. (a) Phobos is a satellite of the planet Mars. It has a period of 7 hours, 39 minutes and an
orbital radius of 9.4 x 103 km. Calculate the mass of Mars.
(b)Assume that Earth and Mars both move in circular orbit around the sun. The radius of
the Mars orbit is 152 times the radius of Earth orbit. What is the length of the Martian
year in days?
22. Suppose there existed a planet that went around the sun twice as fast as the earth. What
would be total orbital size as compared to that of the earth?
23. A spaceship is stationed on Mars. How much energy must be expended on the spaceship
to launch it out of the solar system? Mass of the spaceship = 1000 kg; mass of the Sun =
2 × 1030 kg, mass of Mars = 6.4 x 1023 kg; radius of Mars = 3395 km; radius of the orbit
of Mars = 2.28 x 108 km; G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
24. Compute the work required to take a 10 kg body from the surface of earth to infinity. If
this body falls from infinity to the earth, with what velocity will it strike the earth?
Given : mass of earth, Me = 6.0 x 1024 kg, radius of earth, Re = 6.4 x 106 m and G = 6.67 x
10-11 Nm2 kg-2.
25. A particle is projected vertically upwards from the surface of the earth with the kinetic
energy equal to half the minimum value needed for it to escape. Calculate the height to
which it rises above the surface of the earth.
26. Calculate the escape velocity of a body from the moon, treating it to be a uniform sphere
of radius 1.74 x 106 and mass 7.36 x 1022 kg. Given: G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2 kg-2.
27. Imagine a planet whose diameter and mass are both one-half of those of earth. The day’s
surface temperature of this planet reaches up to 800 K. Are oxygen molecules possible in
 the atmosphere of this planet? (Escape velocity on earth’s surface 11.2 km/s,
Boltzmann’s constant = 1.38 x 10-23 J/K, mass of oxygen molecule = 5.3 x 10-26 kg.)
28. Jupiter has a mass 318 times that of earth, and its radius is 11.2 times the earth’s radius.
Estimate the escape velocity of a body from Jupiter’s surface, given that the escape
velocity from earth’s surface is 11.2 km/s.
29. The radius of a planet is double that of the earth but their average density is are the same.
If the escape velocity is at the planet and at the earth are v p and ve respectively then prove
that vp = 2 ve.
30. A body is at a height equal to the radius of the earth from the surface of the earth. With
what velocity be it thrown so that it goes out of the gravitational field of the earth? M e =
6.0 x 1024 kg, radius of earth, Re = 6.4 x 106 m and G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2 kg-2.
31. A body of mass 100 kg falls on the earth from infinity. What will be its velocity on
reaching the earth? Radius of earth is 6400 km and g = 9.8 ms-2. Air friction is negligible.
32. A spaceship is launched into a circular orbit close to the Earth surface. What additional
velocity has now to be imparted to the spaceship in the orbit to overcome the
gravitational pull? (Radius of earth = 6400 km).
33. The distances of two planets from the sun are 10 13 and 1012 respectively find the ratio of
time periods and speeds of the two planets.
34. Two satellites S1 and S2 revolve round a planet in coplanar circular orbits in the same
sense. Their periods of revolution are 1 hour and 8 hours respectively. The radius of the
orbit of S1 is 104 km. When S2 is closest to S1, find (i) the speed of S2 relative to S1, (ii)
the angular speed of S2 as actually observed by an astronaut in S1.

OBJECTIVE TYPE

1. The physical quantity on the conservation of which Kepler’s second law is based, is:
(a) Energy
(b) Mass
(c) Linear momentum
(d) Angular momentum
2. Kepler’s third law related to the planetary motion is:
(a) T α r
(b) T α r2
(c) T α r3
(d) T α r3/2
3. The acceleration due to gravity at Earth’s surface and at the surface of a planet are
respectively gE and gP. The mass and the radius of the planet are both twice that of Earth.
Then:
(a) gE = gP
(b) gE = 2 gP
(c) gP = 2 gE
(d) gP = gE/√ 2
4. If the radius of the earth were to shrink 1%, its mass remaining the same, the acceleration
due to gravity on the earth surface would be:
(a) Increase by 1%
(b) Decrease by 1%
 (c) Decrease by 2%
(d) Increase by 2%
5. The radius of the earth is nearly twice the radius of the Mars, and the mass is nearly 10
times. If the weight of a body on the earth is 200 N, then on Mars it will be nearly:
(a) 8 N
(b) 20 N
(c) 40 N
(d) 80 N
6. A satellite is orbiting very close to earth surface (Radius of earth R). Its orbital speed is:
(a) √ Rg
(b) √ 2 Rg
(c)
√ Rg
2
(d) ( Rg )2
7. If a satellite is orbiting the earth very close to its surface, then the orbital velocity
depends mainly on:
(a) The mass of the satellite
(b) The radius of the earth
(c) The orbital radius
(d) The mass of the earth
8. The time period of revolution of a satellite close to earth surface (mass M and radius R) is
given by:

√
3
(a) T = 4 π R
GM

√
2 3
(b) T = 4 π R
GM

√
2
(c) T = 2 π GM
R
(d) None of these
9. A satellite is orbiting close to earth surface (Earth's radius R), then its time period is:
(a) π
√ 2R
G
(b) 2 π
√ R
G
(c)
√
π R
2 G
(d) 2 π
√ 2R
G
10. The average distance of Earth from the Sun is 1.5 × 10 11 m and the period of revolution is
365.4 days. If the period of revolution for some other planet is 730.8 days then its
distance from the sun will be (in metre):
(a) 41/2 × 1.5 × 1011
(b) 21/3 × 1.5 × 1011
(c) √ 8 ×1.5 ×1011
 (d) √ 2× 1.5 ×1011
11. A geostationary satellite is revolving at a height of 6 Re above the earth, where Re is
earth's radius. The period of revolution of a satellite circling at a height of 2.5 Re above
the Earth’s surface will be:
(a) 10 hours
5 √5
(b) h ours
√3
(c) 5 √ 5 hours
(d) 6 √ 2 hours
12. The time of revolution around the earth of communication satellite INSAT-IIB is:
(a) 12 hours
(b) 24 hours
(c) 48 hours
(d) 30 days

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE

1. Name the dominant force that operates on (a) astronomical scale, (b) atomic scale and (c)
nuclear scale.
2. Do the force of friction and other contact force arise because of gravitational attraction?
If not, then what is the origin of these forces?
3. Gravitational force between two bodies is 1 newton. If the distance between them is made
twice, what will be the force?
4. The distance of a planet from sun is 40 times the distance of earth. If the masses of earth
and planet be equal, then compare the gravitational forces of sun on these two planets.
5. If the diameter of the earth becomes twice its present value but its mass remains
unchanged, then how would be the weight of an object on the surface of the earth
affected?
6. The mass and the diameter of a planet are twice those of the earth. What will be
acceleration due to gravity at the planet, if acceleration due to gravity on the earth is g?
7. The weight of a person on the earth is 600 N. The gravitational field of the moon is 1/6 th
of the gravitational field of the earth. (a) What will be the weight of the person on the
moon? (b) If the person can jump 2 metre high on the earth, how much high can he jump
on the moon? (c) What is the mass of the person on the earth? On the moon? (g on earth
= 10 N/kg).
8. Moon travelers tie heavy weight at their back before landing on the moon. Give reason.
9. A stone dropped from a height h strikes the earth in 1 second. If the same stone be taken
to the moon and dropped from the same height h, then what time will it take in striking
the surface of the moon? Acceleration due to gravity at earth.at moon is 1/6th the
acceleration due to gravity.
10. If a man goes from the surface of the earth to a height equal to the radius of the earth,
then what will be his weight relative to that on the earth? What if he goes equally below
the surface of the earth?
11. Calculate the distance (i) below the surface of the earth (ii) above the surface of the earth,
at which the value of acceleration due to gravity becomes 1/4 th the value of ‘g’ at the
surface of the earth.
12. At what depth below the surface of the earth the weight of a person will be one-fourth of
his weight at the surface of the earth? Radius of the earth is 6400 km.
13. If the earth stops rotating about its axis, what will be the effect on the value of ‘g'? Will
this effect be same at all places?
14. Why is earth flat at the poles
15. Why is the weight of a body at the equator less than the weight of the same body at the
poles?
16. Where from does a satellite get centripetal force for moving around its planet?
17. The centripetal force on a satellite revolving around the earth is F. What is the
gravitational force due to earth on it? Net force?
18. The earth is acted upon by the gravitational force of attraction due to the sun. Then why
does the earth not fall towards sun?
19. Write the various formulae for the time-period of a 2 satellite revolving around the earth
at a height h from earth’s surface.
20. If mass of the moon were twice its present value but the orbit would have been the same
as at present then would its period of revolution around the earth have been changed?
21. Write the speed and period of revolution of a satellite revolving ‘near’ the earth.
22. How many hours is the periodic time of revolution around the earth of the
communication satellite INSAT II B?
23. How much is the angular velocity, in radian per hour, of a geostationary satellite?
24. Can we determine the weight of a body inside an artificial satellite?
25. The astronauts in a satellite orbiting the earth feel weightlessness. Does the
weightlessness depend upon the distance of the satellite from the earth? If so how?
Explain your answer.
26. Write the formula for the binding energy of a satellite.
27. Write the formula for the maximum height attained by a projectile.
28. On the planet Venus a body has -7.5 x 106 J of gravitational potential energy. Work out
the energy required for the body to escape from the planet.
29. What is meant by escape velocity?
30. Write down the expression for the escape velocity of a body from the surface of the earth.
31. The escape velocity from earth for a piece of 1 g is 11.2 km/s What would it be for a
piece of 10 g?
32. What is the relationship of the orbital speed to the velocity required to send a body from
the earth’s surface into space, never to return?
33. If the orbital speed of a satellite close to the earth be increased by 41.4%, prove that the
satellite will leave its orbit and escape to infinity.
34. If the kinetic energy of a satellite revolving in an orbit close to the earth happens to be
doubled, will the satellite escape?
35. The average distance of the sun from a planet is four times in comparison to its distance
from the earth. In how many years that planet will complete one revolution around the
sun?

SHORT ANSWER TYPE

1. Write down Newton’s law of gravitation.

2. Define ‘universal gravitational constant’. Write its dimensions.
3. Among the known types of forces in nature, the gravitational force is the weakest. Why
then does it play a dominant role in motion of bodies on the terrestrial, astronomical and
cosmological scale?
4. Spheres of the same material and same radius r are touching each other. Show that
gravitational force between them is directly proportional to R4.
5. Three equal masses each m,are placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle ABC .
What is the force acting on a mass 2 m placed at the centroid G of the triangle?
6. The gravitational pull of sun on earth is greater than that of moon on earth. Yet, the tidal
effect of the moon’s pull is greater than that of the sun’s pull. Why?
7. The gravitational force acting on a rocket at a height h from the earth surface is one-third
of the force acting on a body at sea level. What is the relation between h and R e (radius of
the earth)?
8. The mass and the diameter of a planet are twice those of the earth. What will be the time-
period of that pendulum on this planet, which is a second’s pendulum on the earth?
9. The value of ‘g’ changes when we go above or below the surface of the earth. Write the
necessary formulae.
10. If the radii of two planets be R 1 and R2 their mean densities be ρ 1 and ρ2, then prove that
the ratio of accelerations due to gravity on the planets will be R1 ρ1 : R2 ρ2 .
11. The sun attracts all bodies on the earth. At mid-night, when the sun is directly below, it
pulls on a body in the same direction as thepull of the earth on that body; at noon, when
the sun is directly above, it pulls on a body in a direction opposite to the pull of the earth.
Then, will the weight of a body be greater at mid-night than at noon?
12. Which of the following observations point to the equivalent of inertial and gravitational
masses?
(a) Two spheres of different masses dropped from the top of a long evacuated tube
reach the bottom of the tube at the same time.
(b) The time-period of a simple pendulum is independent of its mass.
(c) For a man in a closed cabin that is falling freely under gravity, gravity
‘disappears’.
(d) The gravitational force on a particle inside a hollow isolated sphere is zero.
(e) An astronaut inside a spaceship orbiting around the earth feels weightless.
(f) Planets orbiting around the sun obey Kepler’s third law (approximately).
(g) The gravitational force on a body due to the earth is equal and opposite to the
gravitational force on the earth due to the body.
13. Generally the path of a projectile from the earth is parabolic but it is elliptical for
projectiles going to a very great height. Why?
14. A body is taken from the centre of the earth to the moon. What will be the changes in the
weight of the body?
15. An astronaut inside a small spaceship orbiting around the earth cannot detect gravity. If
the space station orbiting around the earth has a large size, can he hope to detect gravity?
16. An artificial satellite revolves in its orbit around the earth without using any fuel. But an
aeroplane requires fuel to fly at a certain height. Why so?
17. If the period of revolution of an artificial satellite just above the earth be T and the
density of earth be ρ, then show that ρ T2 is a universal constant.
18. Is it possible to place an artificial satellite in an orbit such that it is always visible over
Lucknow (or New Delhi)? Write the reason.
19. Explain in detail the state of weightlessness of a person inside an artificial satellite.
20. A missile is fired radially from the surface of earth (radius 6.4 x 10 6 m) at a satellite,
orbiting the earth. The satellite appears stationary vertically upwards from the point
where the missile is launched. Its distance from the centre of the earth is 25.4 × 10 6 m.
Will the missile actually hit the satellite?
21. A comet orbits the sun in a highly elliptical orbit. Does the comet have a constant (a)
linear speed, (b) angular speed, (c) angular momentum, (d) kinetic energy, (e) potential
energy, (f) total energy throughout its orbit? Neglect any mass loss of the comet when it
comes very close to the sun.
22. Write gravitational down and potential energy and obtain formula from fit gravitational
an expression potential for energy.
23. The gravitational potential energy of a body on the surface of the earth is – 6.4 x 10 6
joule. Clarify this statement.
24. ‘Gravitational potential is equal to the gravitational potential energy of unit mass.’ Is this
statement correct? If not; then what will be the correct statement?
25. Choose the correct alternative :
(a) the gravitational potential energy of two mass points infinite distance apart is
taken to be zero, the gravitational potential energy of a galaxy is
positive/negative/zero.
(b) universe on the large scale is shaped by gravitational/ electromagnetic forces; on
the atomic scale by gravitational/ electromagnetic forces; and on the nuclear scale
by gravitational/ electro-magnetic/strong nuclear forces.

LONG ANSWER TYPE A

1. State Newton’s law of gravitation. Distinguish between g and G.

2. Obtain an expression for the acceleration due to gravity in terms of gravitational constant
G.
3. Explain how the knowledge of g helps us to find (i) mass of the earth and (ii) mean
density of earth?
4. What do you mean by ‘acceleration due to gravity’? What is the effect of rotation of earth
around its axis on the value of acceleration due to gravity?
5. How does the value of acceleration due to gravity vary on the surface of earth? Explain.
6. Obtain the expression for acceleration due to gravity at a height ‘h’ above the earth’s
surface, in terms of acceleration due to gravity at earth’s surface and the radius of earth.
7. Obtain a formula for the variation of ‘g’ below the surface of earth. Hence show that ‘g’
vanishes at the centre of earth.
8. Write the definitions and the expressions of the intensity of gravitational field and
gravitational potential. State their units.
9. What is meant by gravitational potential? Establish the formula for the same.
10. What do you mean by gravitational potential energy? Derive expressions for the
gravitational potential energy of a body of mass ‘m’ placed in the gravitational field of
earth at distance r from the centre, and on the surface of earth.
11. If the mass of earth is M e and its mean radius is R e, derive an expression for the orbital
velocity of a satellite of mass m, revolving at a height h from the surface of the earth. On
which factors does the orbital speed depend?
12. Prove that the orbital velocity of a satellite at a height h from the earth surface is equal to
R
√ g where R is the radius of the earth and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Find
R+ h
out the time period of revolution of the satellite.
13. Establish formula for the period of revolution of an artificial satellite revolving at height
h from the surface of earth.
14. Derive an expression for the periodic-time of a satellite revolving around the earth. Show
how it depends upon the density of the earth?
15. Consider earth as a sphere of radius R e having acceleration due to gravity at its surface as
g. A satellite is orbiting the earth in a circular orbit very close to the surface of the earth.
Calculate the orbital speed and the period of revolution of the satellite in terms of g and
Re .
16. What do you understand by the escape energy of a body? Prove that the escape velocity
of a body is independent of its mass.
17. What do you understand by escape velocity? Derive the formula for escape velocity of a
particle from a planet of mass M and radius R.
18. Write the formula for the gravitational potential energy of a body on earth’s surface,
and hence obtain the formula for the escape velocity of a body from the earth.
19. A rocket projected upward with a velocity u reaches a height h which is not negligible in
comparison to the radius Re of the earth. Derive the expression for h in terms of v, R e and
g. Calculate u when (i) h = Re and (ii) h = ∞
20. Write down Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. Prove that the force acting on a planet is
inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the sun.
21. Prove Newton’s inverse-square law of gravitation on the basis of Kepler’s laws of
planetary motion.

LONG ANSWER TYPE B

1. Write Newton’s law of gravitation for force acting between two bodies and compare the
force with electrical force (FE = 9 × 109 × q1q2/r2)
2. What do you understand by the acceleration due to gravity? Does it depend on the mass
of the body. Explain its variation on the surface of earth, place to place.
3. Define gravity and explain its variation, above and below the surface of earth.
4. Define gravitational potential energy on the surface of earth. Obtain an expression for it
and write relation for gravitational potential.
5. What do you mean by orbital velocity of a satellite? Obtain expression for it at a height h
and also derive relation for its time period of revolution.
6. What is escape velocity? Obtain expression for it from maximum height attained by a
body projected vertically upwards and show that the ratio of escape velocity and orbital
velocity of an artificial satellite moving close to earth is √ 2 : 1.
7. What do you understand by parking orbit of a satellite? Find its height from the earth and
explain the cause for the weightlessness in artificial satellite.

NUMERICALS
1. Compute the ratio of the gravitational force and electrostatic force between an electron
(mass 9.1 × 10-31 kg) and a proton (mass 1.7 × 10-27 kg). Given G = 6.67 × 10-11 Nm2kg-2,
e = 1.6 × 10-19 C.
2. The mass and radius of moon are 7.34 × 10 22 kg and 1.75 × 106 m respectively. Find the
acceleration due to gravity at the moon. G = 6.67 × 10-11 Nm2kg-2.
3. The radius of the earth 6.37 × 10 6 m and the acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 ms -2, then
calculate the mass and the density of the earth. G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
4. What will be the acceleration due to gravity at a planet whose mass is eight times the
mass of the earth and whose radius is twice that of the earth? (g = 10 ms-2)
5. The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Earth is 10 ms -2. The mass of the
planet Mars as compared to the earth is 1/10 and radius is 1/2. Determine the
gravitational acceleration of the body on the surface of Mars.
6. If the earth stops rotating about its Axis then what will be the change in the value of g at a
place in the equator plane? Assume that the Earth is a sphere of radius 6.4 × 106 m.
7. What will be the value of acceleration due to gravity g at a height 3200 km from the
Earth while its value at the earth is 9.8 ms-2? Radius of the earth is 6400 km.
8. At what height above the Earth's surface would the acceleration due to gravity be (i) half,
(ii) one-fourth of its value at the Earth’s surface? Radius of the earth is 6400 km.
9. At what depth above the Earth’s surface would the acceleration due to gravity be (i) half,
(ii) one-fourth of its value at the Earth’s surface? Radius of the earth is 6400 km.
10. The radius of the earth is 6.4 × 10 6 m, and the mean density is 5.5 × 10 3 kg m-3.
Determine the gravitational constant at the Earth’s surface. G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
11. Two bodies of masses 100 kg and 1000 kg are at a distance 1 m apart. Calculate the
gravitational field intensity and the potential at the middle point of the line joining them.
G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2.
12. The mass of the earth is 6.0 × 10 24 kg. Calculate with sign (i) the potential energy of a
body of mass 33.5 kg and (ii) the gravitational potential at a distance of 3.35 × 10 10 m
from the centre of the earth. G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2
13. The mass and radius of earth are 6.0 × 10 24 kg and 6400 km. What will be the potential
energy of a 200 kg body place 600 km high from earth's surface? G = 6.67 × 10 -11 N m2
kg-2
14. The distance of a moon from the Earth is 3.8 × 10 5 km. Calculate the speed of the moon
revolving around the earth. Mass of the earth = 6.1 × 10 24 kg and G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2
kg-2.
15. A satellite which is at a height h from earth’s surface completes one revolution of the
earth in 90 minutes. If the radius of the earth be 6370 km and acceleration due to gravity
9.8 ms-2, then find the value of h.
16. Calculate the orbital velocity of a satellite revolving near the earth , if the radius of the
earth is 6.4 x 106 m and acceleration due to gravity 10 m s -2. What will be the orbital
velocity if the satellite be at a height of 2000 km from the earth’s surface?
17. A 500 kg satellite revolves around the earth at a height of 10 3 km above the earth’s
surface. Calculate, assuming circular orbit: (i) speed of satellite, (ii) angular velocity of
satellite, (iii) gravitational force of the earth on the satellite. Given: radius of the earth 6.4
x 106 m, g = 9.80 m s-2
18. A satellite is revolving around the earth in a circular orbit of radius 8000 km. With what
speed this satellite be projected in the orbit? What will be its period of revolution? (g =
9.8 m s-2, radius of the earth 6400 km).
19. An earth-satellite is revolving at a height of 1800 km from the earth’s surface. Radius of
the earth is 6300 km and acceleration due to gravity at the earth’s surface is 10 m s -2. Find
out: (i) orbital velocity of the satellite, (ii) radial acceleration of the satellite, (iii) period
of revolution of the satellite.
20. The distance between the centres of the earth and the moon is 60 times the radius of the
earth. Calculate the centripetal acceleration of the moon. Acceleration due to gravity on
the earth’s surface = 10 m s-2.
21. The radius of the moon’s orbit around the earth is 60 times the radius of the earth. How
much larger is the acceleration of a body falling freely towards the earth, compared to the
centripetal acceleration of the moon directed towards the earth?
22. An artificial satellite is revolving at a height of 500 km above the earth’s surface in a
circular orbit, completing one revolution in 98 minutes. Calculate the mass of the earth.
Given: G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2, radius of the earth = 6.37 x 106 m.
23. The moon completes one revolution around the earth in 27 days in an orbit of radius 3.8 x
105 km. The earth completes one revolution around the sun in 365 days in an orbit of
radius 1.5 × 108 km. Compare the masses of the sun and the earth.
24. Taking moon’s period of revolution about the Earth’s 30 days (and neglecting the effect
of sun and other planets on its motion), calculate its distance r from the Earth. G = 6.67 x
10-11 N m2 kg-2, mass of earth = 6.0 × 1024 kg.
25. The density of a planet is 8 x 10 3 kg m-3. A satellite is revolving around near the surface
of this planet. Determine the period of revolution of this satellite. (G = 6.67 x 10 -11 N m2
kg-2).
26. With what velocity must a body be thrown from earth’s surface so that it may reach a
height 4 Re above the earth’s surface? (Radius of the earth Re = 6400 km, g = 9.8 m s-2).
27. A body is thrown vertically upwards with a velocity 10 km s from earth’s surface. Up to
which height will it go? Radius of the earth is 6400 km and g = 10 m s-2.
28. How much energy would be needed for a 100 kg body to escape from the earth? (g = 10
m s-2 and radius of the earth Re = 6.4 x 106 m.)
29. If the radius of the earth be 6.38 x 106 m and the acceleration due to gravity at earth be
9.8 m s-2, then calculate the escape velocity of a body from the earth’s surface.
30. Mass of the moon is 7.34 x 10 22 kg and mean radius 1.74 x 10 6 m. If G = 6.67 x 10 -11 N
m2 kg-2, then calculate the escape velocity on the moon’s surface.
31. The radius of a planet is four times that of the moon. The value of acceleration due to
gravity (gm) on the moon is g/5, where g is acceleration due to gravity on the planet.
What will be the escape velocity from the planet surface, if its value from moon surface
is 2.5 km/s, √ 5 = 2.236
32. The escape velocity of a projectile on earth’s surface is 11.2 km/s. A body is projected up
with twice this speed. What will be the speed of the body at infinity? Ignore the presence
of sun and other planets etc.
33. The orbital speed of an artificial satellite orbiting very close to the earth is 8 km/s. What
should be the increased speed of the satellite so that it may escape leaving its orbit?
34. A 500-kg artificial satellite is revolving around the earth at a height of 1800 km from the
earth. Find out the potential energy, kinetic energy and total energy of the satellite. The
earth’s radius is 6400 km and g = 10 m s-2.
35. The mean distance of earth from sun is 1.496 × 10 8 km and its sidereal revolution period
is 365.3 days. The side real revolution periods of the planets Venus and Mars are 224.7
days and 687.0 days respectively. Estimate the mean distances of these planets from the
sun.