Calculating the gravity on the moon

  • Thread starter Thread starter Blacky372
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Gravity Moon
AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the gravitational force on the Moon, comparing it to Earth's gravitational pull of 9.81 N/kg. A participant initially calculated a force of approximately 1.622 N but later found a discrepancy, arriving at 2.72 N instead. Suggestions emphasize solving the problem symbolically by using the ratios of the Earth and Moon's radii and masses, which simplifies the calculation. The importance of maintaining clarity in calculations and using ratios for direct comparisons is highlighted. Ultimately, the discussion aims to clarify the correct approach to determining lunar gravity.
Blacky372
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Hey guys, we just had a physics test and one exercise was the following:

The Earth pulls down on stuff with 9.81 N/kg.
How strong is this force on the moon?

Homework Statement



Radius of the Earth re = 6,370km
Ratio between re and rm = 11:3
Ratio between me and mm = 81:1

Homework Equations



Gravitation formula. F=\gamma*\frac{mM}{r^{2}}

The Attempt at a Solution



In the test I got the correct result ~1,622\frac{m}{s^{2}} but now I can't figure out how I did it.
This is my attempt:
http://imgur.com/4TfyD2G
My formula was basically this:
F=6.67\cdot10^{-11}\frac{Nm^{2}}{kg^{2}}\cdot\frac{1kg\cdot\frac{9.81N\cdot6.37\cdot10^{6}m}{6.67\cdot10^{-11}\frac{Nm^{2}}{kg^{2}}}:81}{(6.37\cdot10^{6}m\cdot\frac{11}{3})^{2}}

EDIT: Okay this is kind of illegible. This one is better: http://i.imgur.com/O6nEQyr.png

I first thought I was right but when i calculate the result its something like 2,72N instead of 1,622N.

How can I get to the right solution?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Please post your working. How else can we determine what you're doing wrong?
 
Oh sorry, the picture isn't loading.
I will try to fix that.
 
Blacky372 said:
My formula was basically this:
F=6.67\cdot10^{-11}\frac{Nm^{2}}{kg^{2}}\cdot\frac{1kg\cdot\frac{9.81N\cdot6.37\cdot10^{6}m}{6.67\cdot10^{-11}\frac{Nm^{2}}{kg^{2}}}:81}{(6.37\cdot10^{6}m\cdot\frac{11}{3})^{2}}
Generally it is better to solve problems symbolically, only plugging in the numbers at the very end. That is definitely true for this problem. Notice that two of the data you are given are ratios of the Earth and Moon radii and masses. That suggests that taking the ratio of the force on the Moon to the force on the Earth, ##F_m/F_e##, is the most direct route to a solution. Do that symbolically and the problem becomes very simple.
 
I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'
Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
Back
Top