What is Saturn's Escape Velocity and How Do I Calculate It?

In summary, the conversation revolved around finding Saturn's Escape Velocity. The person had been using a formula and comparing their answer to NASA's data tables, but it was coming out too high. They realized the problem was due to not converting the radius of Saturn to meters. By fixing this, the escape velocity was calculated to be 35.546 km per sec. The importance of including units in calculations was also emphasized.
  • #1
Zack Davis
11
0
Hey guys and girls. I've been trying to calculate Saturn's Escape Velocity but my answer is coming out way to high. Could someone demonstrate how I would go about finding Saturn's Escape Velocity?
 
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  • #2
What method have you been trying to use, and how do you know it's wrong?
 
  • #3
cjl said:
What method have you been trying to use, and how do you know it's wrong?
I've been using the formula:
Ve= the square root of 2GM/R

I've been comparing my answer to Nasa's data tables on the planets.
 
  • #4
What values are you plugging into that equation and what are their units?
 
  • #5
G= 6.67x10^-11
M= 568.3x10^24 Kg
R= 60000 Km
 
Last edited:
  • #6
I found the problem! I needed to convert the radius of Saturn to meters for the formula to work! My final answer with this fix, the escape velocity of Saturn is 35.546 km per sec.
Thanks everyone!
 
  • #7
Glad you figured it out. I noticed that when you listed the values you didn't specify the units for G. In the future, you can almost certainly avoid the problem you ran into by including units in your calculations. In this case, you would have run into different "km" and "m" units and you would have realized that you needed to covert one to the other.
 

Related to What is Saturn's Escape Velocity and How Do I Calculate It?

1. What is Saturn's escape velocity?

Saturn's escape velocity is the minimum speed that an object needs to reach in order to break free from Saturn's gravitational pull and escape into space.

2. How is Saturn's escape velocity calculated?

The formula for calculating Saturn's escape velocity is:
Ve = √(2GM/R)
Where Ve is the escape velocity, G is the gravitational constant (6.67 x 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2), M is the mass of Saturn, and R is the distance from the center of Saturn to the object.

3. What is the escape velocity of Saturn?

The escape velocity of Saturn is approximately 35.5 km/s or 22 miles/s.

4. How does Saturn's escape velocity compare to Earth's?

Saturn's escape velocity is much greater than Earth's, which is 11.2 km/s or 6.95 miles/s. This is due to Saturn's larger mass and stronger gravitational pull.

5. Can anything escape Saturn's gravitational pull?

Yes, objects such as spacecrafts can escape Saturn's gravitational pull by reaching the necessary escape velocity. However, this is a difficult task as it requires a lot of energy and precise calculations.

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