AMITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NOIDA(SESSION 2022-23)

RESOURCE SHEET-1, CHAPTER-GRAVITATION

NEWTON’S UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITATION-

Every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force which is directly proportional to the
product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
F = GMm/r2 where G is the Universal Gravitational constant.
G = F r2/Mm If M = m = 1 kg, r = 1m
Then, G=F
Universal Gravitational constant is defined as the gravitational force between two bodies of unit masses
separated by a unit distance. As it is a universal constant, its value remains the same all over the universe. Its
value is 6.67x10-11 Nm2/kg2

IMPORTANCE OF GRAVITATION FORCE-

1.The force of attraction that binds us to the earth.
2. The motion of planets moving around the sun.
3. The motion of moon around the earth.
4. The occurring of tides due to sun and moon.

ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY-The acceleration with which a body falls towards the earth due to earth’s
gravitational pull is called acceleration due to gravity. It does not depend on the mass of the object.
EXPRESSIONS FOR ‘g’- Suppose a body of mass m is kept at a distance of d from the center of the earth having
mass M.

According to Newton’s Second law, the force exerted by the earth on the body F =mg
Also from Newton’s Gravitation law, the force exerted by the earth on the body F = GMm/d 2
Comparing the two, we have mg = GMm/d2
So, g = GM/d2
And if the object is on the earth or close to the earth, then d=R. So, g = GM/R2
Substituting these values G=6.67x10-11 Nm2/kg2 , M= x 1024 kg, R = 6.4 x 106 m, we get
g= 9.8m/s2
Acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the planet is directly proportional to its mass M & inversely
proportional to the square of its radius 1/R2.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘g’ & ‘G’

 ‘g’ ‘G’
1. The acceleration with which a body falls 1. The gravitational force between two bodies
towards the earth due to earth’s gravitational of unit masses separated by a unit distance is
pull is called acceleration due to gravity. known as gravitational constant.

2.is different at different points on the earth. 2. Remains same everywhere, is a constant.
3. It is a vector quantity. 3. It is a scalar quantity.
4. The value of g on the surface of earth is 9.8 4. The value of G is 6.673 x 10--11 Nm2/kg2 .
m/s2
5. Can be zero—at the centre of the earth or 5. Can never be zero.
in space.

VARIATION IN THE VALUE OF ‘g’

1. Due to the shape of the earth- The earth is not spherical in shape but it is egg shaped.

g = GM/ R2, Since RE > RP So, gp > gE

2. Value of g decreases with the altitude above the surface of the earth.
3. Value of g decreases as we go deep into the crest of the earth.

FREE FALL -The earth attracts objects towards it due to gravitational force. When an object falls towards the
earth due to the earth’s gravitational force it is called free fall.

EQUATIONS OF MOTION FOR A FREELY FALLING BODY

NOTE: (a) For a body thrown down, v = u + g t h = u t + 1/2gt2 v2 =u2 + 2gh
(b) For a body thrown up, v=u-gt h= u t - 1/2gt2 v2 =u2 -2gh
(c) For a freely falling body, u = 0 at the top.
(d) When a body is thrown up, its v = 0 at the top.

WEIGHT- Weight of a body on the surface of the earth is defined as the force by which earth’s gravity attracts it
towards its centre. Its S.I unit is N.
So, W = FG
= G ME m / (RE)2
=mg

DFFERENCE BETWEEN MASS & WEIGHT

 MASS WEIGHT
1. Quantity of matter contained in a body. 1. The force with which a body is attracted by
the earth.
2. Remains same everywhere, is a constant. 2.Depends on mass & “g” at that point.(W=mg)
3. It is a scalar quantity. 3. It is a vector quantity.
4. SI unit is kilogram. 4. SI unit is Newton.
5. Measured by a beam balance. 5. Measured by a spring balance.
6. Can never be zero. 6. Can be zero—at the centre of the earth or in
space.
NOTE: a) As value of `g’ is more at the poles & less at the equator, a body weighs (W = mg)
more at the poles & less at the equator.
b) Value of `g’ is different on different planets, so weight will also be different.
c) Weight of a body decreases with height and also with depth from the surface of the earth.
RELATION BETWEEN THE WEIGHT OF THE OBJECT ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH & ON THE MOON-
Suppose an object of mass m is kept at the surface of the earth having mass M E and radius RE.
Weight of the object (WE) on the surface of the earth is equal to the gravitational force between earth and the
object.
WE = G ME m/ (RE)2………………………………………………………(1)
Similarly, if the same object is kept on the surface of the moon having mass M M and radius RM , then Weight of
the object (WM) on the surface of the moon is equal to the gravitational force between moon and the object.
WM = G MM m/ (RM)2……………………………………………………(2)

Dividing (1) & (2), We get WE/WM = (G ME m / G MM m) x (RM)2/ (RE)2

= (ME/MM) x (RM/RE)2
Subsituting the values, ME= x 10 kg, RE = 6.4 x 106 m & MM= x 1024 kg, RM= 6.4 x 106 m
24

we get WE/WM = 6 or WM/WE = 1/6

So, WM = (1/6) WE…………………………………………………….(3)
So, weight of the object on the surface of the moon is (1/6) times the weight of the object on the surface of
the earth. From equation (3) m x gM = (1/6) x m gE
So, gM = (1/6) x gE = 9.8/6 = 1.63 m/s2
PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1. What will be the value of `G’ on Jupiter?
2. The gravitational force between two objects is 2N. What will be the gravitational force between these
objects if the distance between them is doubled?
3. A boy drops a ball from the top of a tower of height 19.6m. Calculate the velocity of the ball just before it
touches the ground. (g=10m/s2)
4. A stone is thrown vertically upwards with a speed of 29.4 m/s. Find
i) the time taken by the stone to reach the maximum height
ii) maximum height reached by the body.
5. Why will a sheet of paper fall slower than one that is crumpled into a ball?
6. Calculate the value of ‘g’ on the surface of the moon. Given, mass of moon = 7.4 X 10 22 Kg, radius of the
moon = 1.75 X 106 m.
7. Calculate the value of ‘g’ on the surface of the earth. Given, mass of earth = 6 X 10 24 Kg. and radius of the
earth = 6.4 X 106 m
8. The gravitational attraction between the Earth and Mars is 8.7 x 10 16 N. The distance between the two
planets is 5.5 x 1010m. Earth has a mass of 6.0 x 1024 kg. What’s the mass of Mars?
9. Calculate weight of an object of mass 10 kg.
10. What is the mass of an object whose weight is 49 N.
11. A man weighs 600 N on the earth. Calculate its mass on earth & on moon. Also find its weight on moon. If
acceleration due to gravity on moon is 1/6 th of acceleration due to gravity on earth.
12. A body of 90 kg f on the surface of earth. How much will it weigh on the surface of moon whose mass is
1/9 and radius is ½ of that of earth?
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
1. How does the force of gravitation between two objects change when the distance between them is reduced
to half?
Solution: According to law of gravitation, the force of attraction between two bodies having masses m 1 and
m2 kept at a distance of r is

, r1 = 1/2 r

F1 = 4F
2. Gravitational force acts on all objects in proportion to their masses. Why then, a heavy object does not fall
faster than a light object?
Solution: All objects fall with constant acceleration called acceleration due to gravity (‘g’). Its value doesn’t
depend on the mass of the object on which it is acting (g = GM/ R2). So, heavy objects don’t fall quicker than
light-weight objects provided there’s no air resistance.
3. The earth and the moon attract each other by a gravitational force. Does the earth attract the moon with a
force that is greater or smaller or the same as the force with which the moon attracts the earth? Why?
Solution: According to the Newton’s Third law of motion, the earth attracts the moon with equal amount of
force with which the moon attracts the earth but in opposite directions.
4. If the moon attracts the earth, why does the earth not move towards the moon?
Solution: According to Universal law of Gravitation and Newton’s third law, the earth attracts the moon with
an identical force because the moon exerts force on the earth in opposite direction. Since earth is far larger in
size than moon so the acceleration cannot be detected on earth surface. (a = F/m)
5. Why will a sheet of paper fall slower than one that is crumpled into a ball?
Solution: A sheet of paper has a lot of area as compared to a crumpled paper ball. Air resistance is directly
proportional to the surface area so, a sheet of paper will face a lot of air resistance as compared to the
crumpled paper ball. As result a sheet of paper falls slower than the crumpled ball.
6. Amit buys few grams of gold at the poles as per the instruction of one of his friends. He hands over the
same when he meets him at the equator. Will the friend agree with the weight of gold bought? If not, why?
Solution: Amit’s friend won’t agree with the weight of the gold bought. The weight of a body on the earth’s
surface; W = mg where (m = mass of the body and g= acceleration due to gravity). The value of g is less at the
equator as compared to pole. So gold can weigh less at the equator as compared to poles.