Are My Gravitational Force and Field Calculations Correct?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around gravitational force and field calculations, with the original poster seeking confirmation on their approach to specific problems related to these concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to clarify their understanding of gravitational forces and fields, asking for feedback on their calculations and approach. Some participants suggest checking the calculations of distances and resolving forces into components for better accuracy.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's questions, providing suggestions for checking calculations and emphasizing the importance of using notations before substituting values. There is an ongoing exploration of specific calculations and methods without a clear consensus yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the potential for errors in calculations when substituting values too early and suggest working with variables first. There is a mention of angles between forces and their resultant calculations, indicating a focus on the mathematical relationships involved.

cvc121
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Homework Statement


I am having some trouble with gravitational force and fields and would like some confirmation if I am on the right track and approaching the questions correctly. I have attached a couple of problems that I have worked through below.


Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


The questions along with my attempt at the solution has been attached below. Am I on the right track with these problems? Which questions am I doing incorrectly? Thanks. All help is very much appreciated!
 

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cvc121 said:
The questions along with my attempt at the solution has been attached below. Am I on the right track with these problems? Which questions am I doing incorrectly? Thanks. All help is very much appreciated!

i think you are using the correct formula for gravitational forces between the masses ;
but pl. check the calculation of distances between them as it comes as square in denominator.
regarding composition of say two forces its better to resolve them in two directions and then add them as you know the angles.
check the numbers again..
 
Thanks for the reply. To which question and specific calculation are you referring to?
 
cvc121 said:
Thanks for the reply. To which question and specific calculation are you referring to?

for example check the answer of question -3
its simple as G.M(3)/ R^2
= 6.67. 10^-11 . 5 . 10^30 /( 2. 1.5 . !0^11)^2
=(6.67. 5 /9) 10^-3
=(0.752 . 5 ). 10^-3 approx. comes to 3.76 x 10^-3 m/s^2
in other calculations also i will req. you not to put in values at the first instance but work with notations say m1, m2, m3 ,G and distances and put in values when you are finally calculating the numbers-the chances of error will be less.
say for
F(2-1) = G. m2. m1 / d(21) ^2
F(2-3) = G. m2. m3/ d(23) ^2 ; d(23) = Sqrt (2) d(21) so F(2-3) = Gm2.m3/ 2. d(21)^2
the above forces are making an angle of 45 degrees with each other
so you can write resultant of two forces as

R= sqrt ( F(2-1)^2 + F(2-3)^2 + 2. F(2-1). F(2-3) .Cos(45) ) then
Tan (theta) = F(2-3) sin 45/ F(2-1) where theta is the angle made by R with F(2-1)

many terms like G, m2. d(21)^2 will come out common from sqrt bracket and your calculation will be easy.
 

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