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1. As telescopes improve, astronomers are able to detect planets orbiting other stars. One such planet orbits its star at a distance of 2.897 x 109 km. (This is far enough from the star that radius of the star can be ignored.) The star has 1.9 times the mass of our sun (msun = 2 x 1030 kg). If the planet has a mass of 5.4 x 1027 kg, what is the force of gravity it experiences

1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

The planet will experience a force of
1.72*10^(23)N

Step-by-step explanation:

The force of gravity
F experienced by the planet is of mass
m at a distance
R from a star of mass
M is given by


F = G(mM)/(R^2),

where
G= 6.7*10^(-11)Nm^2 /kg^2 is the gravitational constant.

The mass of the star is two times that of the sun:


M = 2*M_(sun) = 2*(2* 10^(30)kg) = 4*10^(30)kg,

the mass
m of the planet is


m = 5.4*10^(27)kg,

the distance
R of the planet form the star is


R =2.897*10^9km = 2.897*10^(12) m;

therefore, the force of gravity on the planet will be


F = (6.7*10^(-11))((5.4*10^(27)kg)(4*10^(30)kg))/((2.897*10^(12)m)^2)


\boxed{F = 1.72*10^(23)N }

which is the force that the planet will experience.

User Dan Shield
by
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