Chapter 12: Problem 22
Compare the magnitudes of the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the Moon and the gravitational force that the Moon exerts on the Earth. Which is larger?
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Chapter 12: Problem 22
Compare the magnitudes of the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the Moon and the gravitational force that the Moon exerts on the Earth. Which is larger?
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Newton was holding an apple of mass \(100 . \mathrm{g}\) and thinking about the gravitational forces exerted on the apple by himself and by the Sun. Calculate the magnitude of the gravitational force acting on the apple due to (a) Newton, (b) the Sun, and (c) the Earth, assuming that the distance from the apple to Newton's center of mass is \(50.0 \mathrm{~cm}\) and Newton's mass is \(80.0 \mathrm{~kg}\).
A planet with a mass of \(7.00 \cdot 10^{21} \mathrm{~kg}\) is in a circular orbit around a star with a mass of \(2.00 \cdot 10^{30} \mathrm{~kg} .\) The planet has an orbital radius of \(3.00 \cdot 10^{10} \mathrm{~m}\). a) What is the linear orbital velocity of the planet? b) What is the period of the planet's orbit? c) What is the total mechanical energy of the planet?
a) By what percentage does the gravitational potential energy of the Earth change between perihelion and aphelion? (Assume the Earth's potential energy would be zero if it is moved to a very large distance away from the Sun.) b) By what percentage does the kinetic energy of the Earth change between perihelion and aphelion?
Can the expression for gravitational potential energy \(U_{\mathrm{g}}(y)=m g y\) be used to analyze high-altitude motion? Why or why not?
The astronomical unit (AU, equal to the mean radius of the Earth's orbit) is \(1.4960 \cdot 10^{11} \mathrm{~m},\) and a year is \(3.1557 \cdot 10^{7}\) s. Newton's gravitational constant is \(G=\) \(6.6743 \cdot 10^{-11} \mathrm{~m}^{3} \mathrm{~kg}^{-1} \mathrm{~s}^{-2} .\) Calculate the mass of the Sun in kilograms. (Recalling or looking up the mass of the Sun does not constitute a solution to this problem.)
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