Question

Exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) are an active area of modern research. Suppose astronomers find such a planet that has the same radius as Earth, but is about 10% less massive. Roughly, what acceleration due to gravity would you expect if you were standing on the surface of this new planet?

Answer 1

8.829 m/s²

Step-by-step explanation:

M = Mass of Earth

m = Mass of Exoplanet

`g_e` = Acceleration due to gravity on Earth = 9.81 m/s²

g = Acceleration due to gravity on Exoplanet

`m=M-0.1M\\\Rightarrow m=0.9M`

`g_e=G(M)/(r^2)`

`g=G(0.9M)/(r^2)`

Dividing the equations we get

`(g)/(g_e)=(G(0.9M)/(r^2))/(G(M)/(r^2))\\\Rightarrow (g)/(g_e)=0.9\\\Rightarrow g=0.9g_e\\\Rightarrow g=0.9* 9.81\\\Rightarrow g=8.829\ m/s^2`

Acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Exoplanet is 8.829 m/s²