Sir Issac Newton discovered the relation between the body falling freely on earth and the motion of the moon. He assumed the existence of a force of attraction between bodies, one that does not require any bodily constant. The force was called the gravitational force of attraction. He concluded that the gravitational force is needed to keep the moon go in a circular orbit around the earth. Show
According to “Newton’s law gravitation”, every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force whose magnitude is, Directly proportional to the product of their masses i.e. F ∝ (M1M2)………..(1) Inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centre i.e. (F ∝ 1/r2) . . . . (2) On combining equations (1) and (2) we get, F ∝ M1M2/r2 Property 1: The gravitational force is a long-range force, which exists between two particles, regardless of the medium that separates them. Property 2: The gravitational force is directly proportional to the product of the mass of the two bodies. This means a larger mass will yield a larger force. Property 3: The force obeys the inverse square law. The force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Property 4: On the surface of the earth, the gravitational force produces a constant acceleration, g = 9.8 m/s2. Property 5: Gravitational force always acts as a force of attraction. It tries to pull masses together, it never pushes them apart. Property 6: It is independent of the intervening medium. Property 7: Gravitational force is the weakest of the four fundamental forces. Property 8: It acts along the line joining the centre of the two objects. Therefore, it is called the central force. Property 9: Gravitational force is directly proportional to the weight. Property 10: Gravitational force acts even when the objects are not in touch. Recommended VideosGravitation – Gravitational Potential Energy Gravitation – Kepler’s Laws of Planetary MotionFrequently Asked Questions on Properties of Gravitational ForceThe value of ‘g’ on the hills is less than on the plains. So the weight (mg) of the tennis ball on the hills will be less than on the plains. In other words, the gravitational force with which the earth attracts the ball on the hills
will be less than the plains. The gravitational force between two bodies is 1 newton. If the distance between them is doubled, what will be the force?F = Gm1m2/r2 Earth is continuously pulling the moon towards its centre. Why does the moon not fall on the earth?The gravitational force between the earth and the moon provides the necessary centripetal force for the moon to move around the earth. It would have fallen on the earth if the moon were at rest. What is meant by weightlessness?A body is said to be in a state of weightlessness if the normal reaction acting on the body placed over a freely falling frame is zero. Newton knew that the force that caused the apple's acceleration (gravity) must be dependent upon the mass of the apple. And since the force acting to cause the apple's downward acceleration also causes the earth's upward acceleration (Newton's third law), that force must also depend upon the mass of the earth. So for Newton, the force of gravity acting between the earth and any other object is directly proportional to the mass of the earth, directly proportional to the mass of the object, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that separates the centers of the earth and the object. The UNIVERSAL Gravitation EquationBut Newton's law of universal gravitation extends gravity beyond earth. Newton's law of universal gravitation is about the universality of gravity. Newton's place in the Gravity Hall of Fame is not due to his discovery of gravity, but rather due to his discovery that gravitation is universal. ALL objects attract each other with a force of gravitational attraction. Gravity is universal. This force of gravitational attraction is directly dependent upon the masses of both objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that separates their centers. Newton's conclusion about the magnitude of gravitational forces is summarized symbolically as Since the gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of both interacting objects, more massive objects will attract each other with a greater gravitational force. So as the mass of either object increases, the force of gravitational attraction between them also increases. If the mass of one of the objects is doubled, then the force of gravity between them is doubled. If the mass of one of the objects is tripled, then the force of gravity between them is tripled. If the mass of both of the objects is doubled, then the force of gravity between them is quadrupled; and so on. Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance between the two interacting objects, more separation distance will result in weaker gravitational forces. So as two objects are separated from each other, the force of gravitational attraction between them also decreases. If the separation distance between two objects is doubled (increased by a factor of 2), then the force of gravitational attraction is decreased by a factor of 4 (2 raised to the second power). If the separation distance between any two objects is tripled (increased by a factor of 3), then the force of gravitational attraction is decreased by a factor of 9 (3 raised to the second power). Thinking Proportionally About Newton's EquationThe proportionalities expressed by Newton's universal law of gravitation are represented graphically by the following illustration. Observe how the force of gravity is directly proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance of separation. Another means of representing the proportionalities is to express the relationships in the form of an equation using a constant of proportionality. This equation is shown below. The constant of proportionality (G) in the above equation is known as the universal gravitation constant. The precise value of G was determined experimentally by Henry Cavendish in the century after Newton's death. (This experiment will be discussed later in Lesson 3.) The value of G is found to be G = 6.673 x 10-11 N m2/kg2The units on G may seem rather odd; nonetheless they are sensible. When the units on G are substituted into the equation above and multiplied by m1• m2units and divided by d2 units, the result will be Newtons - the unit of force. Using Newton's Gravitation Equation to Solve ProblemsKnowing the value of G allows us to calculate the force of gravitational attraction between any two objects of known mass and known separation distance. As a first example, consider the following problem. Sample Problem #1 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. The solution of the problem involves substituting known values of G (6.673 x 10-11 N m2/kg2), m1 (5.98 x 1024 kg), m2 (70 kg) and d (6.38 x 106 m) into the universal gravitation equation and solving for Fgrav. The solution is as follows: Sample Problem #2 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 in an airplane at 40000 feet above earth's surface. This would place the student a distance of 6.39 x 106 m from earth's center. The solution of the problem involves substituting known values of G (6.673 x 10-11 N m2/kg2), m1 (5.98 x 1024 kg), m2 (70 kg) and d (6.39 x 106 m) into the universal gravitation equation and solving for Fgrav. The solution is as follows: Two general conceptual comments can be made about the results of the two sample calculations above. First, observe that the force of gravity acting upon the student (a.k.a. the student's weight) is less on an airplane at 40 000 feet than at sea level. This illustrates the inverse relationship between separation distance and the force of gravity (or in this case, the weight of the student). The student weighs less at the higher altitude. However, a mere change of 40 000 feet further from the center of the Earth is virtually negligible. This altitude change altered the student's weight changed by 2 N that is much less than 1% of the original weight. A distance of 40 000 feet (from the earth's surface to a high altitude airplane) is not very far when compared to a distance of 6.38 x 106 m (equivalent to nearly 20 000 000 feet from the center of the earth to the surface of the earth). This alteration of distance is like a drop in a bucket when compared to the large radius of the Earth. As shown in the diagram below, distance of separation becomes much more influential when a significant variation is made. The second conceptual comment to be made about the above sample calculations is that the use of Newton's universal gravitation equation to calculate the force of gravity (or weight) yields the same result as when calculating it using the equation presented in Unit 2: Fgrav = m•g = (70 kg)•(9.8 m/s2) = 686 NBoth equations accomplish the same result because (as we will study later in Lesson 3) the value of g is equivalent to the ratio of (G•Mearth)/(Rearth)2. The Universality of GravityGravitational interactions do not simply exist between the earth and other objects; and not simply between the sun and other planets. Gravitational interactions exist between all objects with an intensity that is directly proportional to the product of their masses. So as you sit in your seat in the physics classroom, you are gravitationally attracted to your lab partner, to the desk you are working at, and even to your physics book. Newton's revolutionary idea was that gravity is universal - ALL objects attract in proportion to the product of their masses. Gravity is universal. Of course, most gravitational forces are so minimal to be noticed. Gravitational forces are only recognizable as the masses of objects become large. To illustrate this, use Newton's universal gravitation equation to calculate the force of gravity between the following familiar objects. Click the buttons to check answers.
Today, Newton's law of universal gravitation is a widely accepted theory. It guides the efforts of scientists in their study of planetary orbits. Knowing that all objects exert gravitational influences on each other, the small perturbations in a planet's elliptical motion can be easily explained. As the planet Jupiter approaches the planet Saturn in its orbit, it tends to deviate from its otherwise smooth path; this deviation, or perturbation, is easily explained when considering the effect of the gravitational pull between Saturn and Jupiter. Newton's comparison of the acceleration of the apple to that of the moon led to a surprisingly simple conclusion about the nature of gravity that is woven into the entire universe. All objects attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to their distance of separation. Investigate!Use the Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation widget below to investigate the effect of the object masses and separation distance upon the amount of gravitational attraction. Enter the masses of the two objects and their separation distance. Then click the Submit button to view the gravitational force. Experiment with various values of mass and distance.How did Newton establish that it was the force of gravity between the sun and the planets was the force responsible for keeping the planets in motion along their elliptical path? Click to see. We Would Like to Suggest ...Check Your Understanding1. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the distance between the two objects is doubled, what is the new force of attraction between the two objects? 2. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the distance between the two objects is reduced in half, then what is the new force of attraction between the two objects? 3. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the mass of both objects was doubled, and if the distance between the objects remained the same, then what would be the new force of attraction between the two objects? 4. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the mass of both objects was doubled, and if the distance between the objects was doubled, then what would be the new force of attraction between the two objects? 5. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the mass of both objects was tripled, and if the distance between the objects was doubled, then what would be the new force of attraction between the two objects? 6. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16 units. If the mass of object 1 was doubled, and if the distance between the objects was tripled, then what would be the new force of attraction between the two objects? 7. As a star ages, it is believed to undergo a variety of changes. One of the last phases of a star's life is to gravitationally collapse into a black hole. What will happen to the orbit of the planets of the solar system if our star (the Sun shrinks into a black hole)? (And of course, this assumes that the planets are unaffected by prior stages of the Sun's evolving stages.) 8. Having recently completed her first Physics course, Dawn Well has devised a new business plan based on her teacher's Physics for Better Living theme. Dawn learned that objects weigh different amounts at different distances from Earth's center. Her plan involves buying gold by the weight at one altitude and then selling it at another altitude at the same price per weight. Should Dawn buy at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude or vice versa? 9. Fred is very concerned about his weight but seldom does anything about it. After learning about Newton's law of universal gravitation in Physics class, he becomes all concerned about the possible effect of a change in Earth's mass upon his weight. During a (rare) free moment at the lunch table, he speaks up "How would my weight change if the mass of the Earth increased by 10%?" How would you answer Fred? 10. When comparing mass and size data for the planets Earth and Jupiter, it is observed that Jupiter is about 300 times more massive than Earth. One might quickly conclude that an object on the surface of Jupiter would weigh 300 times more than on the surface of the Earth. For instance, one might expect a person who weighs 500 N on Earth would weigh 150000 N on the surface of Jupiter. Yet this is not the case. In fact, a 500-N person on Earth weighs about 1500 N on the surface of Jupiter. Explain how this can be. What property of matter is used by the gravitational force?Mass is the measure of matter in a particular object. No matter where that object is in the vast universe, it will have the same mass. Weight, on the other hand, is a measure of how much gravitational force is exerted on an object.
What properties affect gravitational force?When dealing with the force of gravity between two objects, there are only two things that are important – mass, and distance. The force of gravity depends directly upon the masses of the two objects, and inversely on the square of the distance between them.
|
Which property of matter is responsible for gravitational force?
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 SignalDuo Inc.
