Question

If the mass of Mars is 0.107 times that of Earth, and its radius is 0.530 that of Earth, estimate the gravitational acceleration g at the surface of Mars. (gearth = 9.80 m/s2

Answer 1

To develop this problem we will use the gravitational equations posed in the Newtonian theory and for which gravity is described as,

`a = (GM_(mars))/(R^2_(mars))`

Where,

G = Gravitational Universal constant

`M_(mars)`= Mass of mars

`R_(mars)`= Radius of mars

Using the relation given we have,

`a = (G*(0.107*M_e))/((0.53R_e)^2)`

`a = (GM_E)/(R^2_E)*(0.107)/(0.53^2)`

The first term is known to all as gravity on earth, which is equivalent to
`9.8m / s ^ 2`

`a = 9.8*0.381`

`a = 3.73m/s^2`

Therefore the gravitational acceleration at the surface of Mars is
`3.73m/s^2`