Gravitation Force Question | Tricky

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a Grade 12 physics student struggling with gravitational force calculations due to inadequate resources and limited teacher support. The student presents a problem involving the gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon, seeking to find the point where these forces cancel each other out. They express confusion over their calculations and question the correctness of their approach. Another participant suggests a different equation to solve for the equilibrium position, emphasizing the need for clarity in the setup of the problem. Overall, the conversation highlights challenges in self-study physics, particularly with complex concepts like gravitational forces.
Raza
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Hi, I am taking Physics Grade 12 at home, so I get teacher's help for 2 hours once a week. They basically give me booklets to do at home and just simply hand it in. But the negative side to this that it's only 2 hours of help and teachers don't know most of the questions (they're new). And also the books are COMPLETE crap; there is little or no explanation behind the physic's equation and leave you to think about equation yourself. There's more questions that I don't get but here's the 1st question from the booklet.

Homework Statement


The mass of the Moon is 7.35 x 1022kg. At some point between Earth and the Moon, the force of Earth's gravitational attraction on an object is canceled by the Moon's force of gravitational attraction. If the distance between Earth and the Moon (center to center) is 3.84 x 105km, calculate where this will occur, relative to Earth.


Homework Equations


F_{g}=\frac{Gm_{1}m_{2}}{r^2}
MMoon=7.35 x 1022kg
MEarth=5.98 x 1024kg
Gconstant=6.67 x 10-11N x m^2/kg^2


The Attempt at a Solution


I think it must be:
\frac{F_{(G)moon}}{F_{(G)earth}}=1
and you are trying to figure out r.
 
Last edited:
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Using your solution, you've got a wrong answer? r^2 = (3.84E5)^5?
 
Well, is my solution right?
 
How about trying;

\frac{GM_e}{d^2}-\frac{GM_m}{(r-d)^2} = 0

Where d is the distance from the Earth to the equilibrium position and r is the distance from Earth to the moon. Does that make sense?
 
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