Question

Use the data below to compute the gravitational force that the Sun exerts on Jupiter. (Use G = 6.67 x 10^-11 N · m²/kg².)

Answer 1

The gravitational force on two objects can be determined by the following equation:

$F=G\frac{m_{1}m_{2}}{r^2}$

Where G is the gravitational constant m1 is mass 1, m2 is the second mass nad r^2 is distance between these objects.  Therefore, let m1 = mass of Sun 1.99x10^30 kg, m2= mass of Jupiter 1.90x10^27 kg, r is the average distance between the Sun and Jupiter 7.78x10^11 m.  By plugging these values in we have:

$F=6.67x10^{-11}\frac{(1.99x10^{30})(1.90x10^{27})}{(7.78x10^{11})^2}$

$F=4.1665x10^{23}$

F=4.17x10^23 N