Calculating Acceleration Due to Gravity on the Moon and Mars

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the acceleration due to gravity on the Moon and Mars using the formula Gm/R^2. The user initially used an incorrect approach, leading to confusion about the results. The correct acceleration due to gravity for the Moon is approximately 1.62 m/s², and for Mars, it is similarly calculated using the same formula. It is emphasized that the radius must be converted from kilometers to meters for accurate calculations. The consensus is that the second method is the appropriate one for determining gravitational acceleration.
cougar_21
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Ok, please tell me if i am correct, or totally out of it :confused:

What is the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of
(a) the Moon (R=1.74x10^3km, m= 7.35x10^22kg)
(b) Mars (R=3.40x10^3km, m= 6.42x10^23kg)

i used v= square root of m/R

for a i got 6.4993x 10^9
for b i got 1.3741 X 10^10

is this correct, cause i really am not confident :smile:
 
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k i took a different approach please tell me which one is the correct one:
this time i took Gm/R^2 to get the acc.

for a i got 1.62 m/s^2
o.0 sorry i really have no clue what I am doing :frown:
 
Last edited:
You should use the second one. Basically, they are all originated from \frac{GMm}{R^2}. You got the first one by equalling it to centripedal force and the second to mg.
 
k so then the second equation is the correct one? TY o:)

Another question since the R is in km should I change it to meters?
 
Last edited:
Yes, you have to change them to SI unit.
 
cougar_21 said:
Another question since the R is in km should I change it to meters?
yes, you should.
 
thank you !
 
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