1. Unit 06 “Circular Motion, Gravitation and Black Holes” Gravity And Centripetal Force

2. F G = F Gm 1 m 2 /r 2 = m 1 a Gm 2 /r 2 = a The acceleration due to gravity So acceleration due to gravity depends on the mass of the planet. NOT the mass of the object … like when we said acceleration due gravity is the same rate REGARDLESS of mass! Remember Unit 04 “Vertical Motion”. Galileo said that the mass of an object didn’t affects its acceleration due to gravity… How do you determine the acceleration due to gravity for a planet … and does it depend on the mass of the object falling?” In this equation m 1 is the mass of the object falling. m 2 is the mass of the planet. r is the distance between the planet and object but essentially it is the radius of the planet.

3. Problem Solving Use your book to find the masses and radii of the planets in the problems below to determine the acceleration due to gravity (g) for …. 1)The Earth 2)The Moon Answers: 1)g = 9.8m/s 2 2)g = 1.67m/s 2