Question

What is the gravitational force on a 70kg that is 6.38x10^6m above the earths surface

Answer 1

Answer:

171.5 N

Explanation:

The gravitational force on an object due to the Earth is given by

$F=mg$

where

m is the mass of the object

g is the acceleration due to gravity

The acceleration due to gravity at a certain height h above the Earth is given by

$g=\frac{GM}{(R+h)^2}$

where:

G is the gravitational constant

$M=5.98\cdot 10^{24} kg$ is the Earth's mass

$R=6.37\cdot 10^6 m$ is the Earth's radius

Here,

$h=6.38\cdot 10^6 m$

So the acceleration due to gravity is

$g=\frac{(6.67\cdot 10^{-11})(5.98\cdot 10^{24})}{(6.37\cdot 10^6 + 6.38\cdot 10^6)^2}=2.45 m/s^2$

We know that the mass of the object is

m = 70 kg

So, the gravitational force on it is

$F=mg=(70)(2.45)=171.5 N$