Does mass directly affect gravitational pull in perfectly spherical objects?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the relationship between mass and gravitational pull in perfectly spherical objects, specifically considering how changes in mass affect gravitational attraction in a vacuum. The scope includes theoretical considerations of gravity and mass, as well as mathematical reasoning related to gravitational field strength.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Richard poses a question about whether a perfect sphere with twice the mass of another would exert twice the gravitational pull, assuming both are 1 meter in diameter.
  • One participant agrees with Richard, stating that if the gravitational pull is computed at the same distance from the sphere's centers, it would indeed be twice as strong.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the mass must be equally distributed for the second sphere to have twice the density at all points, interpreting the term "perfect sphere" as implying uniformity in mass distribution.
  • Richard later suggests that gravitational pull is directly proportional to mass and inquires about the linearity of this relationship.
  • A participant provides the formula for gravitational field strength, indicating that it is directly proportional to mass, reinforcing Richard's inquiry about the relationship.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that gravitational pull is related to mass, with some affirming the proportionality of gravitational strength to mass. However, the discussion includes nuances regarding the conditions under which this relationship holds, particularly concerning mass distribution.

Contextual Notes

There are assumptions regarding the uniformity of mass distribution in the spheres, and the discussion does not resolve how variations in density might affect gravitational pull in practical scenarios.

shadders
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This is just a general question on Gravity and Mass.

If you created a perfect sphere of a known element in the vacuum of space, which was 1 metre in diameter, i assume that it would exhibit a gravitational pull on other objects - although probably very weak.

If you then created another sphere exactly the same size, 1 metre in diameter, but with a known element that resulted in twice the total mass of the previous sphere, would it have twice the gravitiational pull as the previous sphere ?.

Thanks,

Regards,

Richard.
 
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shadders said:
This is just a general question on Gravity and Mass.

If you created a perfect sphere of a known element in the vacuum of space, which was 1 metre in diameter, i assume that it would exhibit a gravitational pull on other objects - although probably very weak.

If you then created another sphere exactly the same size, 1 metre in diameter, but with a known element that resulted in twice the total mass of the previous sphere, would it have twice the gravitiational pull as the previous sphere ?.

Thanks,

Regards,

Richard.

Yes, if you compute the pull at the same distance from the sphere's centres.
 
The mass must be equally distributed, so that sphere 2 has twice as high density
at all points.
(I assume that is what was meant by perfect sphere from a single element).
 
Thanks for the replies.

Not done the calculations, but essentially gravitational pull is directly proportional to mass, and is a linear relationship ?.

Regards,

Richard.
 
The gravitational field strength at any point in space from the centre of an object is given as g = Gm / r^2 where r is the distance from the object's centre. So yes, gravitational field strength is directly proportional to mass.
 

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