Question

We all know the Earth exerts gravity on us, but other objects in the solar system also pull on us. In the following series of problems we will investigate how strong gravity is for a person standing on the surface of the Earth from various objects in the solar system. You can answer the following series of questions using Newton's Law of Gravity; use the units given and the Gravitational Constant, G = 6.67 ×10-11 m3/kg/s2.

1. What is the force of gravity due to the Earth on a 46.0 kg ASTR 110 student standing on the equator during Spring Break. DATA: Equatorial radius of the Earth 6.378×10⁶ meters; mass of the Earth 5.98×10²⁴ kg.
2. What is the force of gravity due to the Moon on a 46.0 kg ASTR 110 student standing on the equator during Spring Break. DATA: mean distance to the Moon 3.84×10⁸ meters; mass of the Moon 7.36×10²² kg.
3. When Jupiter is on the same side of the Sun as the Earth the distance between the Earth and Jupiter can be as small as 6.30×10¹¹ m. Knowing this, what is the maximum force of gravity due to Jupiter on a 46.0 kg ASTR 110 student standing on the equator during Spring Break. DATA: Mass of Jupiter = 1.90×10²⁷ kg.
4. Some people claim that the location of Jupiter can have dramatic consequences on human events on Earth. For comparison to the last problem, what is the force of gravity due to a 100 kg person hugging a 46.0 kg ASTR 110 student. Assume the distance between the students is 0.3 meters.

Answer 1