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Estimate the gravitational force between two sumo wrestlers, with masses \(220 \mathrm{kg}\) and \(240 \mathrm{kg}\), when they are embraced and their centers are \(1.2 \mathrm{m}\) apart.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The gravitational force between the two sumo wrestlers with masses 220 kg and 240 kg when their centers are 1.2 meters apart is approximately \(2.64 \times 10^{-7} N\).

Step by step solution

01

Understand the problem and identify the given values.

We have two sumo wrestlers with masses 220 kg and 240 kg, and their centers are 1.2 meters apart. We need to use these values to calculate the gravitational force between them. Values given: - Mass of the first sumo wrestler (m1) = 220 kg - Mass of the second sumo wrestler (m2) = 240 kg - Distance between their centers (r) = 1.2 m
02

Write down the universal law of gravitation formula.

The universal law of gravitation formula is given by: \(F = G * \frac{m1 * m2}{r^2}\) Here, \(F\) is the gravitational force between the two masses, \(m1\) and \(m2\) are the masses of the two sumo wrestlers, \(r\) is the distance between their centers, and \(G\) is the gravitational constant (\(6.674\times 10^{-11} \frac{N m^2}{kg^2}\)).
03

Substitute the given values into the formula.

Now, replace the values of \(m1\), \(m2\), and \(r\) in the formula: \(F = G * \frac{(220 \mathrm{kg}) * (240 \mathrm{kg})}{(1.2 \mathrm{m})^2}\)
04

Calculate the gravitational force.

Perform the calculation to find the gravitational force: \(F = (6.674\times 10^{-11} \frac{N m^2}{kg^2}) * \frac{(220 \mathrm{kg}) * (240 \mathrm{kg})}{(1.2 \mathrm{m})^2}\) \(F \approx 2.64 \times 10^{-7} N\)
05

State the final answer

The gravitational force between the two sumo wrestlers when they are embraced and their centers are 1.2 meters apart is approximately \(2.64 \times 10^{-7} N\).

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Universal Law of Gravitation
The Universal Law of Gravitation is a profound scientific principle that describes the attractive force between two masses. This law, formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in the late 17th century, established that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

Simply put, this means that the heavier two objects are, and the closer they are to each other, the stronger the gravitational pull between them. This law applies universally, from the attraction between celestial bodies, like the Earth and the Moon, to the more mundane but no less fascinating pull between two sumo wrestlers in an embrace.

While the force may seem negligible in everyday life, especially compared to the Earth's gravity, it's a fundamental interaction that is constantly at play, and understanding it is crucial to fields such as astrophysics, orbital mechanics, and even geology.
Gravitational Constant
The gravitational constant, denoted as 'G,' is a key piece of the Universal Law of Gravitation. This fundamental constant reflects the strength of gravity in the universe. Its value is approximately \(6.674 \times 10^{-11} \frac{N m^2}{kg^2}\), as determined by precise experiments.

The gravitational constant is crucial because it allows us to calculate the gravitational force between two masses. Without 'G,' we wouldn't be able to quantify the pull of gravity, leaving us with just a qualitative description. Despite the constant's incredibly small size, it has a vast impact on the universe, ensuring planets orbit stars, moons orbit planets, and yes, even sumo wrestlers attract each other, albeit very slightly. The stability and structure of the cosmos depend on this constant's exact value.
Forces Between Masses
When discussing forces between masses, it's essential to grasp that these interactions are mutual and occur between any two objects with mass, irrespective of their size. The formula derived from the Universal Law of Gravitation shows the direct relationship between the force, mass, and distance:

\( F = G * \frac{m1 * m2}{r^2} \), where \(F\) is the gravitational force, \(m1\) and \(m2\) are masses of the objects, and \(r\) is the distance between their centers of mass.

What's fascinating is that each object pulls on the other with equal force. For our sumo wrestlers, this means that the gravitational pull one feels from the other is the same as the pull he exerts on his opponent. While this force is minuscule compared to the gravitational pull they each feel from the Earth, it is still present, and its calculation is an excellent way to understand gravity's universal reach.
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation is essentially the formal statement of the Universal Law of Gravitation that includes the gravitational constant to allow precise calculations. It encapsulates the idea that the force of gravity acts between all masses and gives us the tools to calculate this force. Newton visualized gravity as a force that acts instantaneously across distance, a concept that later developments in physics would refine.

Thanks to Newton's formulation, we're able to predict the paths of planets and spacecraft with incredible accuracy. For instance, when it comes to our exercise involving sumo wrestlers, though their gravitational attraction to each other is significantly less than to the Earth, we can still use Newton's law to calculate this force accurately. These principles are a testament to the predictability and beauty of the laws of physics which govern the universe at both the cosmic and human scale.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A comet is observed \(1.50 \mathrm{AU}\) from the Sun with a speed of \(24.3 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{s} .\) Is this comet in a bound or unbound orbit?

If a planet with 1.5 times the mass of Earth was traveling in Earth's orbit, what would its period be?

Astrology makes much of the position of the planets at the moment of one's birth. The only known force a planet exerts on Earth is gravitational. (a) Calculate the gravitational force exerted on a 4.20 -kg baby by a \(100-\mathrm{kg}\) father \(0.200 \mathrm{m}\) away at birth (he is assisting, so he is close to the child). (b) Calculate the force on the baby due to Jupiter if it is at its closest distance to Earth, some \(6.29 \times 10^{11} \mathrm{m}\) away. How does the force of Jupiter on the baby compare to the force of the father on the baby? Other objects in the room and the hospital building also exert similar gravitational forces. (Of course, there could be an unknown force acting, but scientists first need to be convinced that there is even an effect, much less that an unknown force causes it.)

(a) In order to keep a small satellite from drifting into a nearby asteroid, it is placed in orbit with a period of 3.02 hours and radius of \(2.0 \mathrm{km}\). What is the mass of the asteroid? (b) Does this mass seem reasonable for the size of the orbit?

In the law of universal gravitation, Newton assumed that the force was proportional to the product of the two masses \(\left(\sim m_{1} m_{2}\right) .\) While all scientific conjectures mustbe experimentally verified, can you provide arguments as to why this must be? (You may wish to consider simple examples in which any other form would lead to contradictory results.)

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