1.

a) Is the acceleration due to gravity of earth ‘g’ a constant? Discuss. b) Calculate the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of a satellite having a mass of 7.4 × 1022 kg and a radius of 1.74 × 106m. Which satellite do you think it could be?

Answer»

a) No, the value of acceleration due to gravity is no constant at all the places on the surface of the earth. This is because the radius of the earth is minimum at the poles while maximum at the equator. The value of g is maximum at the poles and minimum at the equator. The value of g increases as we go from the centre of the earth towards the poles and the value of g decreases as we go inside the earth. 

b) Acceleration due to gravity, 

g = G M/R

Mass, M = 7.4 × 1022 kg 

Radius, R = 1.74 × 106

Gravitational constant, G = 6.7× 10-11 Nm2/kg2 

Therefore, substituting the values we get g = 1.637 m/s2.



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