Gravitational force of a basketball to a golf ball

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the ratio of the gravitational force between two basketballs and two golf balls, given their masses and radii. The context is centered around gravitational force as described by Newton's law of universal gravitation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the formula for gravitational force and the appropriate values for distance in the context of two touching spheres. There is a focus on verifying the calculations and the assumptions regarding the radius used in the formula.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively questioning the setup of the problem and the values used in calculations. There is acknowledgment of a potential error in the initial calculations, and some participants suggest reconsidering the radius values. The conversation reflects a mix of confirmations and corrections without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Contextual Notes

There is a discussion about the appropriateness of the radius values used in the calculations, particularly in relation to the physical setup of the basketballs and golf balls. The original poster's calculations and results are under scrutiny, with participants reflecting on the implications of their assumptions.

kolua
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Homework Statement


Two basketballs, each of mass 0.58 kg and radius0.12 m, are placed on a floor so that they touch each other. Two golf balls, each of mass 0.045 kg and radius 22 mm, are placed on a table so that they touch each other.
What is the ratio of the gravitational force exerted by one basketball on the other to that exerted by one golf ball on the other?

Homework Equations


F=GMm/r^2

The Attempt at a Solution


Fbb=G mbxmb/r12
Fgg=G mgxmg/r22
[/B]
I got the result of 5.58
is this correct?
 
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kolua said:

Homework Statement


Two basketballs, each of mass 0.58 kg and radius0.12 m, are placed on a floor so that they touch each other. Two golf balls, each of mass 0.045 kg and radius 22 mm, are placed on a table so that they touch each other.
What is the ratio of the gravitational force exerted by one basketball on the other to that exerted by one golf ball on the other?

Homework Equations


F=GMm/r^2

The Attempt at a Solution


Fbb=G mbxmb/r12
Fgg=G mgxmg/r22
[/B]
I got the result of 5.58
is this correct?

That's a weird question. It's also a poor question, as you can get the right answer by taking ##r_b = 0.12m## and ##r_g = 0.022m##. Is that what you did?
 
PeroK said:
That's a weird question. It's also a poor question, as you can get the right answer by taking ##r_b = 0.12m## and ##r_g = 0.022m##. Is that what you did?
Yes and I got the ratio of 2757 not 5 sorry. is that correct?
 
kolua said:
Yes and I got the ratio of 2757 not 5 sorry. is that correct?

Have a think about what ##r## should be when you have two objects of a given radius.

Your original answer was correct, by the way.
 
PeroK said:
Have a think about what ##r## should be when you have two objects of a given radius.

Your original answer was correct, by the way.
Got it! I put the wrong number in calculator. THX!
 

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