Question

In introductory physics laboratories, a typical Cavendish balance for measuring the gravitational constant G uses lead spheres with masses of 1.60 kg and 16.0 g whose centers are separated by about 3.30 cm. Calculate the gravitational force between these spheres, treating each as a particle located at the center of the sphere.

Answer 1

The value is
`F = 1.568 *10^(-9) \ N`

Step-by-step explanation:

From the question we are told that

The mass of the first lead sphere is
`m = 1.60 \ kg`

The mass of the second lead sphere is
`M = 16 \ g = 0.016 \ kg`

The separation between masses is
`r = 3.30 \ cm = 0.033 \ m`

Generally the gravitational force between each sphere is mathematically represented as

`F = (G * m * M )/(r^2 )`

Here G is the gravitational constant with value
`G = 6.67 *10^(-11 ) \ m^3 \cdot kg^(-1) \cdot s^(-2)`

`F = (6.67 *10^(-11 ) * 1.60 * 0.016 )/(0.033^2 )`

=>
`F = 1.568 *10^(-9) \ N`