Calculating Tension in a Hypothetical Moon-Earth System

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on calculating the tension in a hypothetical cable holding the moon in orbit around the Earth, rather than relying on gravity. The user derived a formula for tension using the equations of motion, but their calculated result of 9.08x10^20 differs from the book's answer of 2.01x10^20. They have rechecked their math multiple times and suspect an issue with the numbers provided in the textbook. The conversation encourages sharing detailed calculations to identify any discrepancies. The focus remains on resolving the tension calculation through collaborative problem-solving.
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Homework Statement


Suppose the moon were held in its orbit not by gravity but by a massless cable attached to the center of the earth. Find the tension in the cable.

Homework Equations


F=ma
a=v^2/r
v=2πr/T

(since the pictures aren't working, I'm just going to post the url to the image) (http://imgur.com/Ktj98f6 ) All the numbers I used are from the back of the book, shown here. (I used the period, mass and mean radius shown in the image)

The Attempt at a Solution


From all the equations, I figured that the new formula using substitution would be F=m((2πr/T)^2)/r) (http://imgur.com/e7QMdTG )

Now the answer at the back of the book says 2.01x10^20, but I keep getting 9.08x10^20. I've rechecked my math hundreds of times, and I've also tried plugging in the numbers into the original equations one at a time and I keep getting the same answer. So I figured the only thing that is wrong then is the numbers, but the numbers came straight from the book, so they can't be wrong!
 
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Why don't you present your math here, step by step? If you also include the constants that you use (there aren't that many!) you can avoid the image links.
 
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