Homework Help: Equal gravitational pull

1. Apr 22, 2005

UrbanXrisis

anyone know the distance from earth (to the moon) where the gravitational pull of the moon is equal to the gravitational pull of the earth? (or any way I could calculate it?)

Last edited: Apr 22, 2005
2. Apr 22, 2005

whozum

A point between the two? Just use the same method you used in the other post. It will work for this example.

3. Apr 22, 2005

UrbanXrisis

I tried, I got a nonreal number

Last edited by a moderator: May 2, 2017
4. Apr 22, 2005

whozum

384,400,000meters between earth and moon

earth mass is 5.98 x 10^24
moon mass is 7.35 x 10^22

$$F_e = F_m$$

$$F = G\frac{Mm}{r^2}$$

$$\frac{5.98x10^{24}}{x^2} = \frac{7.35x10^{22}}{y^2}$$

$$x + y = 3.84 x 10^8$$

You dont need to add the radius of the earth and moon on the fractions on the topright. You can regard them as point masses. Solving the system above should get you the correct answer.

5. Apr 22, 2005

Werg22

Does this distance takes account of the radius of both?

6. Apr 22, 2005

jdavel

UrbanXrisis,

First of all, NEVER, EVER, EVER start plugging in numbers until you have solved the equation for the variable you need. It wastes time, and it creates countless chances for errors.

Second, it looks to me as though you're using the radius of the earth and moon in the denominators of your law of gravity equations. Why? How is the distance r in the denominator defined?

7. Apr 23, 2005

UrbanXrisis

I got x to equal something between 3 and 4 when I graphed the function...

Last edited by a moderator: May 2, 2017
8. Apr 23, 2005

whozum

$$\frac{5.98x10^{24}}{x^2} = \frac{7.35x10^{22}}{y^2}$$

$$M_ey^2 = M_mx^2$$

$$x+y = r$$

$$M_e(r-x)^2 = M_mx^2$$

$$\frac{M_m}{M_e} = \left(\frac{r-x}{x}\right)^2$$

$$\sqrt{\frac{M_m}{M_e}}x = r-x$$

$$\sqrt{\frac{M_m}{M_e}}x+x = r$$

$$(\sqrt{\frac{M_m}{M_e}}+1)x = r$$

$$\frac{r}{\left(\sqrt{\frac{M_m}{M_e}}+1\right)} = x$$

$$r = 3.84 x 10^8m$$

9. Apr 23, 2005

whozum

A much easier way would be to realize that:

$$a = \frac{GM}{r^2}$$

and plot a for earth and a for the moon, and find the intersect point.