To calculate the mass of Mercury, you can use the formula:
M=a⋅r2/G
where:
M is the mass of Mercury
a is the acceleration due to gravity on Mercury’s surface
r is the radius of Mercury
G is the universal gravitational constant
You have given the values of a and r, so you only need to know the value of G. According to NASA Space Place, the value of G is:
G=6.67×10−11 Nm2/kg2
Plugging in the values, you get:
M=(3.72 ms−2)⋅(2.44×106 m)2/(6.67×10−11 Nm2/kg2)
M=3.29×1023 kg
Therefore, the mass of Mercury is approximately 3.29×1023 kilograms.