Universal Law

of Gravitation
 Fundamental Forces
Strong Force which holds the nucleus of
Nuclear
the atom together (Gluons)
Electro - Force in the electrons of atoms
magnetic
(photons)
Weak Neutrino interaction which induces
Nuclear
beta decay (intermediate vector boson)
Gravity Force of attraction between two
particles (graviton?)
 True or False
"There is no gravity in space."

"G and g are the same thing."

"g is gravity."
The Falling Apple legend.
 UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITATION
Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation
proposed that the gravitational attraction between
any two objects is directly proportional to the
product of their masses and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance
between their centers of mass.

Fg m1 m2
1
Fg
d2
In mathematical equation, we insert a constant G
G m 1 m2
Fg = d 2

Where: Fg force of gravity

m1 mass of one body
m2 mass of the second body
d distance between the center
of mass of the two bodies
G universal gravitation constant
(G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2)
(G = 3.44 x 10-8lbft2/slug2)
The constant of proportionality in this equation is G - the
universal gravitation constant. The value of G was not
experimentally determined until nearly a century later
(1798) by Lord Henry Cavendish using a torsion balance.
How is the magnitude of the
gravitational force affected if
1. m1 is doubled? Tripled? Doubled, tripled
2. m1 is halved? Quartered? halved, quartered
3. m1 and m2 are doubled? Quadrupled
4. d is doubled? Tripled? quartered, one-ninth
5. d is halved? Quartered? Quadrupled, 16x larger
6. m1, m2 and d are doubled? Unchanged
7. m1 is doubled but d is halved? 8x larger
Universal Law of Gravitation

d
d2
 SAMPLE PROBLEM NO. 1
Determine the force of
gravitational attraction between
24
the earth (m = 5.98 x 10 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 (6.67 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 Fg. The solution is as
follows:

G m1 m2
Fg =
d2
(6.67X10-11Nm2/kg2) (5.98x1024kg)(70kg)
Fg =
(6.38x106)2

Fg = 686 N
 Sample Problem no.2
2. A 4-kg ball and a 2-kg ball are positioned so
that their centers of mass are 40 cm apart.
With what force do they attract each other?
Given: m1 = 4 kg, m2 = 2 kg, d = 0.40 m
Find: Fg = ?
(6.67X10-11Nm2/kg2)(4kg)(2kg)
Fg =
(0.40 m)2

Fg = 3.34 x 10 -9 N
 Gravitational Field and Weight
The attraction that any large spherical mass has
on another mass located outside the sphere can
be calculated by assuming that the entire mass
of a large sphere is concentrated at its center.
Assuming that mass m is located at the surface
of the earth. Whose mass is
m
me. Setting the weight mg equal
to gravitational force Fg, we
obtain:
G m me
W = mg =
Re2
 G m me
W = mg =
Re2
The radius of the earth is denoted by the
symbol Re. Dividing out the mass m, we
have the following value for acceleration
due to gravity g:

G me
g= Re2
 Sample Problem no. 3
3. At the surface of the earth, the acceleration due
to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. If the radius of the earth is
6.38 x 106 m, compute for the mass of the earth.
Solution: Assume the mass of the earth is given by me and its
radius is Re (d) and the test mass (object) m near the surface of
the earth and whose weight is W = mg..
G m me
W = mg = Re2
gRe2 9.8 m/s2 (6.38 x 106 m)2
me = =
G 6.67 x 10-11 N m2/kg

me = 5.98 x 10 24 kg
 Sample Problem no. 4
4. How far above the surface of the
earth will a persons weight be
reduced to one-half its value at the
surface?
Plan: The weight mg at the surface will be reduced
to one-half when g becomes (9.8 m/s2) = 4.9
m/s2 and the distance becomes d = Re + h.
G me
g= d2
d = Re + h

Re = 6.38 x 106 m
 Solution
2 G me
d = 4.9m/s2
G me
d= 4.9m/s2
(6.67X10-11Nm2/kg2) (5.98 x 1024kg)
d=
4.9 m/s2
d = 9.02 x 6
10 m
Finally, we subtract Re from d to find h
h = 9.02 x 106m - 6.38 x 106 m
h = 2.64 x 10 6 m
At a point, a distance of 2640 km
above the Earth, the weight of an
object will be one-half of its
weight at the surface.
 "There is no gravity in space."
FALSE If there were no gravity in space, the space
shuttle would not be able to orbit the Earth, the moon
would not orbit the Earth, and the Earth would not
orbit the Sun. The reason we tend to think of there
being no gravity in space is that we have seen movies
of the astronauts being "weightless". They aren't
actually weightless, they are still being pulled down by
gravity but they and the space shuttle are in a constant
state of freefall around the Earth. So they seem to be
weightless as a result of the falling - just as you would
seem weightless if you were in an elevator when the
cable broke.
 "G and g are the same thing."
FALSE Big G is the universal
gravitational constant. Little g is
the acceleration due to the force
of gravity and its value of
9.8m/s/s down is only true on
this planet. It is not a universal
constant.
 "g is gravity."
FALSE Little g is the effect of the
force of gravity, but is not
gravity. Gravity is a force, little g
is an acceleration caused by
gravity.
 Solve the following:
1. A 4-kg mass is separated from a 2-kg mass by a
distance of 8 cm. Compute the gravitational
force of attraction between the two masses.
2. On a distant planet the acceleration due to
gravity is 5.00 m/s2, and the radius of the planet
is 4560km. Use the law of gravitation to estimate
the mass of this planet.
3. The mass of the Earth is about 81 times that of
the Moon. If the radius of the Earth is four times
that of the Moon, what is the acceleration due to
gravity of the Moon?
 Answer

1. Fg = 8.34 x
10-8 N
24
2. m = 1.56 x 10 kg
The mass of the Earth is about 81 times that of the Moon. If the
radius of the Earth is four times that of the Moon, what is the
acceleration due to gravity of the Moon?

3. mm = 5.98 x 1024 kg/81 = 7.38 x 1022kg

Rm = 6.38 x 106 m/4 = 1.595x106 m

G mm
g= Rm 2
(6.67x10-11Nm2/kg2)(7.38x1022kg)
g= 1.60x106 m

g = 1.92m/s2
 Distance from Value of g
Location
Earth's center (m) m/s2

Earth's surface 6.38 x 106 m 9.8

1000 km above surface 7.38 x 106 m 7.33

2000 km above surface 8.38 x 106 m 5.68

3000 km above surface 9.38 x 106 m 4.53

4000 km above surface 1.04 x 107 m 3.70

5000 km above surface 1.14 x 107 m 3.08

6000 km above surface 1.24 x 107 m 2.60

7000 km above surface 1.34 x 107 m 2.23

8000 km above surface 1.44 x 107 m 1.93

9000 km above surface 1.54 x 107 m 1.69

10000 km above surface 1.64 x 107 m 1.49
50000 km above surface 5.64 x 107 m 0.13
Planet Radius (m) Mass (kg) g (m/s2)

Mercury 2.43 x 106 3.2 x 1023 3.61

Venus 6.073 x 106 4.88 x1024 8.83
Mars 3.38 x 106 6.42 x 1023 3.75
Jupiter 6.98 x 107 1.901 x 1027 26.0
Saturn 5.82 x 107 5.68 x 1026 11.2
Uranus 2.35 x 107 8.68 x 1025 10.5
Neptune 2.27 x 107 1.03 x 1026 13.3
Pluto 1.15 x 106 1.2 x 1022 0.61
Kepler's three laws of planetary motion
can be described as follows:
1. The path of the planets about the sun is
elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun
being located at one focus. (The Law of Ellipses)
2. An imaginary line drawn from the center of the
sun to the center of the planet will sweep out
equal areas in equal intervals of time. (The Law
of Equal Areas)
3. The ratio of the squares of the periods of any
two planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of
their average distances from the sun. (The Law
of Harmonies)
 Period Ave. T2/R3
Planet
(yr) Dist. (au) (yr2/au3)

Mercury 0.241 0.39 0.98

Venus .615 0.72 1.01
Earth 1.00 1.00 1.00
Mars 1.88 1.52 1.01
Jupiter 11.8 5.20 0.99
Saturn 29.5 9.54 1.00
Uranus 84.0 19.18 1.00
Neptune 165 30.06 1.00
Pluto 248 39.44 1.00
(NOTE: The average distance value is given in astronomical units where 1 a.u. is equal to
the distance from the earth to the sun - 1.4957 x 1011 m. The orbital period is given in units
of earth-years where 1 earth year is the time required for the earth to orbit the sun - 3.156
x 107 seconds. )