Question

Neutron stars, such as the one at the center of the Crab Nebula, have about the same mass as our sun but have a much smaller diameter. If you weigh 675 N on the earth, what would you weigh at the surface of a neutron star that has the same mass as our sun and a diameter of 20 km

Answer 1

Answer:

Wn = 9.14 x 10¹⁷ N

Explanation:

First we need to find our mass. For this purpose we use the following formula:

W = mg

m = W/g

where,

W = Weight = 675 N

g = Acceleration due to gravity on Surface of Earth = 9.8 m/s²

m = Mass = ?

Therefore,

m = (675 N)/(9.8 m/s²)

m = 68.88 kg

Now, we need to find the value of acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Neutron Star. For this purpose we use the following formula:

gn = (G)(Mn)/(Rn)²

where,

gn = acceleration due to gravity on surface of neutron star = ?

G = Universal Gravitational Constant = 6.67 x 10⁻¹¹ N.m²/kg²

Mn = Mass of Neutron Star = Mass of Sun = 1.99 x 10³⁰ kg

Rn = Radius of neutron Star = 20 km/2 = 10 km = 10000 m

Therefore,

gn = (6.67 x 10⁻¹¹ N.m²/kg²)(1.99 x 10³⁰ kg)/(10000)

gn = 13.27 x 10¹⁵ m/s²

Now, my weight on neutron star will be:

Wn = m(gn)

Wn = (68.88)(13.27 x 10¹⁵ m/s²)

Wn = 9.14 x 10¹⁷ N