MHB Calculating the radius of a planet

  • Thread starter Thread starter onie mti
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Planet Radius
AI Thread Summary
To calculate the radius of Mars, use the formula for gravitational acceleration: a = GM/R². Given that the gravitational acceleration (a) on Mars is 3.8 m/s² and the mass (M) is 6.4 x 10²³ kg, the gravitational constant (G) is 6.67 x 10⁻¹¹. Rearranging the formula to solve for R gives R = √(GM/a). This method provides a straightforward way to determine the radius of Mars based on its gravitational properties.
onie mti
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
If you have an object that undergoes a free fall from on a planet Mars which experiences a gravitational acceleration of magnitude 3,8m/s(squared) the mass of mass is given to be 6,4*10^i23kg. Please how do I find the radius of mars
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
onie mti said:
If you have an object that undergoes a free fall from on a planet Mars which experiences a gravitational acceleration of magnitude 3,8m/s(squared) the mass of mass is given to be 6,4*10^i23kg. Please how do I find the radius of mars

Apply the formula of gravity:
$$a=\frac{GM}{R^2}$$
where $a$ is the acceleration at the surface, $G$ is the gravitational constant ($6.67\cdot 10^{-11}$), $M$ is the mass of the planet, and $R$ is the radius of the planet.
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Back
Top