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Given that Saturn's mass is 5.68 x 10²⁶ kg and its radius is 5.82 x 10⁷ m, what is the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Saturn?

a) 15.7 m/s²
b) 13.9 m/s²
c) 11.2 m/s²
d) 9.81 m/s²

User Gregers
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Final answer:

The acceleration due to gravity on Saturn's surface is calculated using Newton's law of universal gravitation, with the given mass and radius of Saturn. The computed value is 11.2 m/s^2, corresponding to option (c) in the question.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Saturn, we use Newton's law of universal gravitation. The formula for gravitational acceleration (g) is given by:

g = G × M / r^2

Where:

  • G is the gravitational constant (6.674 × 10^-11 N·m^2/kg^2),
  • M is the mass of the object (in this case, Saturn's mass),
  • r is the radius of the object.

Using Saturn's mass (5.68 × 10^26 kg) and its radius (5.82 × 10^7 m), we find:

g = (6.674 × 10^(-11)) × (5.68 × 10^26) / (5.82 × 10^7)^2

g = (6.674 × 10^(-11) × 5.68 × 10^26) / (3.38944 × 10^15)

g = 11.2 m/s^2

Therefore, the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Saturn is 11.2 m/s^2, which corresponds to option (c).

User Mike Tsayper
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