Determine the mass of Jupiter using data about a moon

AI Thread Summary
To determine the mass of Jupiter using Io's data, the mass of Io, its orbital period, and mean distance from Jupiter are essential. The calculations involve using centripetal acceleration and the universal law of gravitation. An initial attempt yielded an incorrect mass due to a miscalculation in velocity, specifically not dividing the circumference by the period. After correcting this error, the accurate mass of Jupiter was found to be approximately 1.9 x 10^27 kg. Proper formatting in LaTeX was also discussed for clarity in mathematical expressions.
Calpalned
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Homework Statement


Determine the mass of Jupiter using the data for the moon Io.
Mass of Io: ##8.9*10^{22}##
Period: ##1.77## Earth days
Mean distance from Jupiter in km: ##422*10^3##

Homework Equations


Centripetal acceleration ##a = \frac{v^2}{R} ##
Universal law: ##\frac{GMm}{R^2} ##

The Attempt at a Solution


##\frac{m_Iv^2}{R} = \frac{m_IM_JG}{R^2} ##
## v^2 = \frac{M_JG}{R} ##
##M_J = \frac{v^2R}{G} ##
##\frac{(2\pi R)^2R}{G} = 1.419*10^{37} ## kg. My answer = wrong
Just like in the post about binary star systems, I see no error in my calculations, yet I am ten magnitudes too great...
Correct answer is ##1.9*10^{27}##
 
Last edited:
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##2 \pi R## is not a velocity.
 
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gneill said:
##2 \pi R## is not a velocity.
Thanks Gniell. Once again I forgot to divide ## 2\pi R ## by T. I solved the problem again, corrected my mistake, and got the right answer.
 
Just a little ##\LaTeX## note: you can say ##8.9 \times 10^{22}## (8.9 \times 10^{22}) instead of using an asterisk.
 
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