OUR OWN HIGH SCHOOL, AL WARQA’A, DUBAI

GRAVITATION- PRACTICE PAPER

GRADE: XI HOLIDAY HOME WORK
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A. The questions given below consists of an assertion and the reason. Use the following key to choose
appropriate answer
(a) Both assertion and reason are true, reason is correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not a correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is correct but reason is incorrect.
(d) Assertion is incorrect but reason is correct.
(e) Both are incorrect.
1. Assertion: Gravitational potential energy increases if we move away from the surface the earth.
Reason : Gravitational potential energy is zero at infinity.
2. Assertion: The time period of a freely falling pendulum is infinite.
Reason : The Effective value of acceleration due to gravity becomes zero.
3. Assertion: There is no atmosphere on the moon.

Reason : The escape velocity on the surface of moon is very small. Due to this, molecules of the
gases easily escape.
4. Assertion: An astronaut in an orbiting space station above the Earth experiences weightlessness.
Reason: An object moving around the Earth under the influence of Earth’s gravitational force is in a
state of ‘free fall’.
B. CASE STUDY based Question:

Gravity is the reason we are able to stand on the earth. Without it, we would all float off into space!
Gravity is also necessary for the operation of satellites. Usually when people talk about satellites, they
are referring to manmade objects that have been sent into orbit. However, the moon is also a satellite!
A satellite is any object that revolves around a planet in a circular or elliptical path. The path of a satellite
is its orbit. Manmade satellites have all kinds of important applications. Communications satellites, for
instance, are satellites that are sent to orbit the earth for the purpose of sending communication signals
or messages.
Scientists have used observation satellites. These are satellites that have been specifically designed to
monitor the earth. Observation satellites are used to keep track of the weather, detect changes in the
environment, and create maps of the earth. They can be very useful for scientists in monitoring natural
disasters, global warming, pollution, and other changes to the planet. The military also has spy satellites
(very similar to observation satellites) that help them to peek in on other people around the world.
It might seem strange that gravity doesn’t cause satellites to just fall straight down to Earth, like
Newton’s apple. Why is that? It turns out that the earth’s gravitational pull on an object weakens the
farther away it is from the planet’s surface. Satellites orbit far above the earth’s surface at a set speed.
Earth has an “escape velocity,” which is the minimum speed necessary for an object to escape the
earth’s gravity entirely and fly off into outer space. Earth’s escape velocity is more than 25,000 miles
per hour. Engineers don’t build satellites that travel faster than that because they don’t want their
satellites flying off into space. Satellites are designed to achieve a balance. They revolve around the
earth slowly enough to avoid drifting off into space, but fast enough to avoid getting pulled completely
down toward the center of the earth by the force of gravity. At the correct velocity, a satellite is pulled
by the earth with just enough force to maintain its orbit. The closer a satellite is to the earth’s surface,
the faster it needs to go in order to stay in orbit. And satellites have a circular or elliptical orbit because
they are constantly being pulled toward the earth’s surface, which is curved.

1. What is a satellite?
(a) any object affected by Earth’s gravitational pull
(b) a manmade object that allows us to communicate or observe our environment
(c) any object that revolves around a planet in a circular or elliptical path
(d) a network of 24 objects in space that help people determine their location

2. What causes satellites to remain in orbit above Earth?

(a) Satellites achieve a balance between gravity and their velocity that keeps them in orbit.
(b) Satellites reach their escape velocity with the help of scientists and engineers.
(c) Satellites have a circular or elliptical orbit.
(d) Gravity pulls satellites sideways around Earth’s curved surface

3. We depend on satellites for many of our communication needs. What evidence from the text
supports this conclusion?
(a) The military has spy satellites to help them peek in on other people around the world.
(b) Satellites allow us to use the phone, Internet, television, and radio.
(c) Earth’s gravitational pull on an object weakens the farther away it is from the planet’s
surface.
(d) Isaac Newton discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head.

4. Read this sentence from the text. “Observation satellites are used to keep track of the
weather . . . . [and] can be very useful for scientists in monitoring natural disasters, global
warming, [and] pollution. “Based on this evidence, what conclusion can be made?
 (a) Scientists spend lots of money to build and repair satellites.
(b) Satellites can help us be aware of potential dangers.
(c) Scientists believe satellites can help us change weather patterns.
(d) Satellites cause a large amount of pollution.

5. What is the main idea of this text?

(a) Satellites allow us to communicate easily and learn more about the world we live in.
(b) Earth’s gravity allows us to use satellites for communication and observation.
(c) Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity has revolutionized the way we think.
(d) Earth’s escape velocity is more than 25,000 miles per hour.

6. Read these sentences from the text.

“Manmade satellites have all kinds of important applications. Communications satellites, for
instance, are satellites that are sent to orbit the Earth for the purpose of sending communication
signals or messages.” As used in the text, what does the word "applications" mean?
(a) lessons
(b) problems
(c) mysteries
(d) uses
C. MCQ
1. A missile is launched with a velocity less than the escape velocity. The sum of its kinetic and potential
energy is
(a) Positive
(b) Negative
(c) Zero
(d) may be positive or negative

2. The escape velocity for a body projected vertically upwards from the surface of the earth is 11 km/s.
If the body is projected at an angle of 450 with the vertical, the escape velocity will be
(a) 11/√2 km/s
(b) 11√2 km/s
(c) 2 km/s
(d) 11 km/s
3. The value of g at a particular point is 9.8 m/sec² suppose the earth suddenly shrink uniformly to half
its present size without losing any mass. The value of g at the same point (assuming that the distance
of the point from the centre of the earth does not shrink) will become
(a) 9.8 m/sec²
(b) 4.9 m/sec²
(c) 19.6 m/sec²
(d) 2.45 m/sec²
4. A body is projected vertically from the surface of the earth of radius R with velocity equal to half of
the escape velocity. The maximum height reached by the body is
(a) R
(b) R/2
(c) R/3
(d) R/4
5. A satellite S is move in an elliptical orbit around the earth. The mass of the satellite is very small
compared to the mass of the earth.
(a) The acceleration of S is always directed towards the centre of the earth.

(b) The angular momentum of S about the centre of the earth changes in direction, but its magnitude
remains constant.
(c) The total mechanical energy of S varies periodically with time.
(d) The linear momentum of S remains constant in magnitude.
6. Which of the following are true?
(a) A polar satellite goes around the earth’s pole in north-south direction.
(b) A geostationary satellite goes around the earth in east-west direction.
(c) A geostationary satellite goes around the earth in west-east direction.
(d) A polar satellite goes around the earth in east-west direction.
7. The centre of mass of an extended body on the surface of the earth and its centre of gravity
(a) are always at the same point for any size of the body.
(b) are always at the same point only for spherical bodies.
(c) can never be at the same point.
(d) is close to each other for objects, say of sizes less than 100 m.
(e) both can change if the object is taken deep inside the earth.
D. Short Answer Type Questions:
8. An object of mass m is raised from the surface of the earth to a height equal to the radius of the earth
that is, taken from a distance R to 2R from the centre of the earth. What is the gain in its potential
energy?
9. If the mass is removed further away such that OP becomes 2h, by what factor the force of gravitation
will decrease, if h = r ?
10. 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?
11. Molecules in air in the atmosphere are attracted by gravitational force of the earth. Explain why all
of them do not fall into the earth just like an apple falling from a tree.
12. Show the nature of the following graph for a satellite orbiting the earth.
(a) KE vs orbital radius R
(b) PE vs orbital radius R
(c) TE vs orbital radius R.

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