Gravitational Field Strength Help

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the gravitational field strength at an altitude of 220 km above Earth's surface. The user struggles to match their calculated answer with the textbook's value of 9.1 N/kg. Key equations used include Fg = mg and g = Gm₂/d², with the gravitational constant G and Earth's mass m₂ provided. The user realizes the error stemmed from not converting the distance into meters, which is crucial for accurate calculations. Ultimately, the correct approach leads to a result of approximately 9.18 N/kg, aligning closely with the textbook answer.
shootingrubbe
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Hello Everyone, I've been trying to get the answer to this problem for ages now and I just can't match my answer with the one in the back of the textbook. I hope you can let me know what I'm doing wrong.

Homework Statement


What is the gravitational field strength at a place 220 km above Earth's surface, the altitude of many piloted space flights.

Homework Equations


Fg = mg
Fg = Gm₁m₂/d²

The Attempt at a Solution


d = 6.60 x 10³ km
G = 6.67 x 10-¹¹ N.m²/kg²
m₂ = 5.98 x 10²⁴ kg
g = ? N/kg

Fg = mg = Gm₁m₂/d²
mg/m = Gm₁m₂/d²/m
g = Gm₂/d²
g = (6.67 x 10-¹¹ N.m²/kg²)(5.98 x 10²⁴ kg)/((6.60 x 10³ km)²)

And when I do this I always get the wrong answer when I compare it with the one in the back of the textbook. The answer in the back of the textbook is 9.1 N/kg [down].

If anyone here could please help me with this, that would be great.

Thanks.
 
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Equation looks fine to me, I solved it and got 9.18 N/kg
what did you get?
 
Thanks, I guess I was doing it right, I just forgot to convert the distance into meters.
 
oh of course, how could I overlook that. I didn't follow your equation, I did it myself. I should have checked your equation more thoroughly!
 
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