Gravitaion
UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITATION done is independent of path and work done in a closed
path is zero).
Newton put forward the universal law of gravitation in
Mass Vs Weight
1687 and used it to explain the observed motions of
the planets and moons. Mass Weight
The mass of a body is the The weight of a body is the
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation amount of matter present force with which the earth
in it. attracts it.
It states that "Every particle attracts every other
particle in the universe with force directly It has magnitude but not It has both magnitude and
proportional to the product of their masses and direction. (scalar quantity). direction (vector quantity).
inversely proportional to the square of the distance It does not change from It changes from place to
between them". place to place. place
(W = mg).
Centripetal force:- It is the force that keeps an object It can never be zero. It is zero at the centre of
moving in a circular path, always directed towards the earth.
center of the circle. Its S.I. Unit is kilogram. Its S.I. Unit is Newton.
Variation in the gravity
1. The gravity is more at the poles than at the equator.
2. The gravity decreases with altitude.
3. The gravity on the moon is 1/6th of Earth's gravity.
m1 m2
F=G 2
r
, g¿ g= 9.8 m/s2.
m1 m2 GM
Free fall m× g= G 2
r
2
r
It is defined as the motion of an object solely under the influence
of gravity, with no other forces (like air resistance) acting upon
"g" represents the acceleration that an object
it. Essentially, it's when an object is falling under the influence of experiences due to the Earth's gravity (or the gravity of
gravity alone. This motion is characterized by a constant any celestial body).
downward acceleration, often referred to as the acceleration due M = Mass of the Earth
to gravity. R = Radius of the Earth
G= Universal Gravitational Constant
The Universal Gravitation Equation g= Acceleration due to gravity
Gravity gets weaker as you move farther from Earth's
1 centre. This is because gravity is inversely proportional
F ∝ m 1m 2 F∝ 2
r to the square of the distance between the centres of
two objects.
m 1m 2 When we go higher, the distance increases gravity
F∝ 2
r decreases.
As we move deeper into the Earth, only the Earth's
m1 m2 −11 mass beneath us contributes to the gravitational pull.
F=G 2
,G=6.67 ×10 Unit= N ( Newton)
r The mass above us has no effect → gravity also
decreases, So, gravity is strongest at the surface and
F is the gravitational force between bodies, m1 and m2 weaker both above and below it.
are the masses of the bodies, r is the distance between
the centers of two bodies, G is the universal Thrust
gravitational constant.
Discovered experimentally by Henry Cavendish in Thrust is a force, or push, that acts on a surface in a
1798). direction perpendicular (normal) to that surface. It is
The gravitational force is both a non-contact force measured in Newtons (N). E.g. Thrust is generated
(acting at a distance) and a conservative force (work
Prince Singh pg. 1
Gravitaion
by the engines of the aircraft through some kind of
propulsion system.
Pressure
Pressure is the force (or thrust) acting per unit area. S.I.
Relative Density
unit is pascal (Pa).
Relative density is the ratio of the density of a substance to
Thrust /Force kgm N
Pressure= , P= 2 2 or 1 pa= 2 the density of reference substance (usually water for liquids
Area m s m and solids).
Pascal's Law Relative Density=
Density of a substance
Pascal's law (also Pascal's principle or the principle of reference substance ¿
transmission of fluid-pressure) is a principle given by Density ¿
Blaise Pascal that states that "A pressure change at any Mass
point in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted Density= Denoted by “ ρ .
Volume
throughout the fluid such that same change occurs
everywhere. Some important Questions
It was given in 1653 and published.
Short answer type:
1. At what height above the earth’s surface would
the value of acceleration due to gravity be half of
what it is on the surface? Take radius of earth to
be R.
2. 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?
3. A piece of paper takes much longer to fall than a
Archimedes' Principle stone through the same distance. Explain the
reason.
Archimedes' principle states that "The upward buoyant
4. Consider a heavenly body which has a mass twice
force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid whether
that of the earth and radius thrice that of the
fully or partially is equal to the weight of the fluid that the
earth. What will be the weight of the book on this
body displaces".
heavenly body, if its weight on earth is 900 N.
Long Answer type
1. Why gravitational force is usually unnoticeable?
2. Prove that acceleration due to gravity is
independent of mass of the body.
3. How can the average density of the earth can be
determined?
4. What is buoyancy and buoyant force? Upon what
factors do they depend
Five Marks questions
Bernoulli’s Principle 1. Find the percentage change in the weight of a
body when it is taken from equator to poles. The
Bernoulli's principle is a key concept in fluid dynamics. It
polar radius is 6,357 Km and equatorial radius is
states that "In a streamlined flow of incompressible, non-
6,378 Km.
viscous fluid, the sum of pressure energy, kinetic energy,
2. The density of ice is 918kgm-3 and that of sea water
and potential energy per unit volume remains constant".
is 1,030kgm-3. An iceberg floats with a portion 224
liters outside water. Find the volume of iceberg.
Prince Singh pg. 2
Gravitaion
3. What are the laws of flotation? Give some
illustrations.
Note:- If the density of object is less than the density of a
liquid, it will float on the liquid and if the density of an
object is more than the density of a liquid, it will sink in
the liquid.
Prince Singh pg. 3
