Question

Two planets are 3 x 107 km apart. Planet A has a mass of 8 x 1024 kg. Planet B has a mass of 1 x 1025 kg.

What is the gravitational force that Planet A exerts on Planet B? (2pts)



What is the gravitational force that Planet B exerts on Planet A? (2pts)

Answer 1

Given:
m₁ = 8 x 10²⁴ kg, mass of planet A
m₂ = 10²⁵ kg, mass f planet B
d = 3 x 10⁷ m, the distance between planets A and B

The gravitational force between planets A and B is

`F=G (m_(1)m_(2))/(d^(2))`
where
G = 6.674 x 10⁻¹¹ (N-m²)/kg²
That is,
F =[ (6.674 x 10⁻¹¹ (N-m²)/kg²)*(8 x 10²⁴ kg)*(10²⁵ kg) ]/(3 x 10⁷ m)²
= 5.9324 x 10²⁴ N

Answer:
Planet A exerts a force of 5.9324 x 10²⁴ N on planet B.
Planet B exerts an equal and opposite force om planet A.