Question

A meteoroid is moving towards a planet. It has mass m = 0.86×10⁹ kg and speed v₁ = 2.6×107 m/s at distance R₁ = 1.3×107 m from the center of the planet. The radius of the planet is R = 0.46x107 m. The mass of the planet is M= 5.6×1025 kg. There is no air around the planet. R ▷ A 14% Part (a) Enter an expression for the gravitational potential energy PE₁ of the meteoroid at R₁ in terms of defined quantities and the gravitational constant G.

Answer 1

The formula for calculating the gravitational potential energy (PE₁) of the meteoroid at R₁ is - (G * M * m) / R₁, where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the planet, m is the mass of the meteoroid, and R₁ is the distance of the meteoroid from the center of the planet.

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational potential energy (PE₁) of the meteoroid at R₁ can be calculated using the formula: PE₁ = - (G * M * m) / R₁ Where: G is the gravitational constant (6.67 × 10^-11 Nm²/kg²) M is the mass of the planet m is the mass of the meteoroid R₁ is the distance of the meteoroid from the center of the planet Plugging in the given values, the expression for the gravitational potential energy becomes: PE₁ = - (6.67 × 10^-11 Nm²/kg² * 5.6×10^25 kg * 0.86×10⁹ kg) / (1.3×10⁷ m)