Question

If you weigh 690 N on the earth, what would be your weight on the surface of a neutron star that has the same mass as our sun and a diameter of 15.0 km ? Take the mass of the sun to be ms = 1.99×1030 kg , the gravitational constant to be G = 6.67×10−11 N⋅m2/kg2 , and the free-fall acceleration at the earth's surface to be g = 9.8 m/s2 . Express your weight wstar in newtons.

Answer 1

Answer:

W' = 1.66 x 10¹⁴ N

Explanation:

First, we will calculate the mass:

$W = mg$

where,

W = weight on earth = 690 N

m = mass = ?

g = acceleration due to gravity on earth = 9.8 m/s²

Therefore,

$m = \frac{W}{g} = \frac{690\ N}{9.8\ m/s^2}\\\\m = 70.4\ kg$

Now, we will calculate the value of g on the neutron star:

$g' = \frac{GM}{R^2}$

where,

g' = acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the neutron star = ?

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

M = Mass of the Neutron Star = 1.99 x 10³⁰ kg

R = Radius of the Neutron Star = 15 km/2 = 7.5 km = 7500 m

Therefore,

$g' = \frac{(6.67\ x\ 10^{-11}\ N.m^2/kg^2)(1.99\ x\ 10^{30}\ kg)}{(7500\ m)^2}\\\\g' = 2.36\ x\ 10^{12}\ m/s^2$

Therefore, the weight on the surface of the neutron star will be:

$W' = mg'\\W' = (70.4\ kg)(2.36\ x\ 10^{12}\ m/s^2)$

W' = 1.66 x 10¹⁴ N