Gravitation
• This law states that every massive particle in the universe attracts
every other massive particle with a force which is directly
proportional to the product of their masses and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance between them.
The Universal Law of Gravitation
• Newton’s Law of gravitation states that every object in the universe attracts every other
object by a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance between them.
G (Universal Gravitational Constant)
• In SI units its value is approximately 6.674×10−11 Nm2Kg−2
Importance of The Universal Law of Gravitation
• It binds us to the earth.
• It is responsible for the motion of the moon around the earth.
• It is responsible for the motion of planets around the Sun.
• Gravitational force of moon causes tides in seas on earth.
g (Acceleration due to Gravity of Earth)
• The acceleration which is gained by an object because of gravitational force is called
its acceleration due to gravity. Its SI unit is m/s2 . ... The acceleration due to gravity at the
surface of Earth is represented by the letter g. It has a standard value defined as 9.80665
m/s2
To Calculate the Value of g
• Value of universal gravitational constant, G = 6.7 × 10–11 N m2/ kg2,
• Mass of the earth, M = 6 × 1024 kg, and
• Radius of the earth, R = 6.4 × 106 m
• value of acceleration due to gravity=9.8 m/s2.
Free Fall and Motion
• When an object is under free fall, acceleration due to gravity is constant at g = 9.8m/s−2
• Value of g does not depend on mass i.e any object big or small experiences the same
acceleration due to gravity under free fall. All three equations of motion are valid for freely
falling objects as it is under uniform motion.
• The sign of convention → towards earth g is +ve / away from earth g is -ve.
Weight and Mass
• Mass (m)
• The mass of a body is the quantity of matter contained in it.
• Mass is a scalar quantity which has only magnitude but no direction.
• Mass of a body always remains constant and does not change from place to place.
• SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg).
• Mass of a body can never be zero.
• Weight (W)
• The force with which an object is attracted towards the centre of the earth, is called the
weight of the object.
• Now, Force = m × a
• But in case of earth, a = g
• But the force of attraction of earth on an object is called its weight (W).
• ∴ W = mg
• As weight always acts vertically downwards, therefore, weight has both magnitude and
direction and thus it is a vector quantity.
• The weight of a body changes from place to place, depending on mass of object.
• The SI unit of weight is Newton.
• Weight of the object becomes zero if g is zero.
Difference Between Mass And Weight
• SI Unit of Mass = kg
• SI Unit of Weight =Newton
• Mass is not depend on gravity but weight depends on gravity.
Variation in g
• Due to Depth
• Due to Earth rotation
• In equator
• In poles
Why value of g is greater at the pole?
• Earth is not a perfect sphere. It is flattened at the poles and bulged at the equator. The
centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the earth results in the bulge of the earth at the
equator. We know that the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the
distance from the centre of the earth. The distance from the poles to the centre of the
earth is lesser than the distance from the equator to the centre of the earth. Therefore the
acceleration due to gravity is greater at the poles than at the equator.
Difference between Gravitation Constant (G) and Gravitational
Acceleration (g)
Gravitational acceleration
S. No. Gravitation Constant (G)
(g)
1. Its value is 6.67×10 Nm /kg . Its value is 9.8 m/s2.
-11 2 2
2. It is a scalar quantity. It is a vactor quantity.
3. Its value remains constant Its value varies at various
always and everywhere. places.
4. Its unit is Nm2/kg2. Its unit is m/s2.
Practice Question
• The value of acceleration due to gravity (g) at a distance of 2R from the surface of
the earth, where R is Radius of the Earth..
a) g/3
b) g/4
c) g/9
d) g/2...
Questions:
If the radius of the earth were to shrink by one percent, its mass remaining the same, the
acceleration due to gravity on the earth’s surface would
(a) decrease
(b) remains unchanged
(c) Increase
(d) None of these
• The dimensions of universal gravitational constant are
(a) M^2 L^2 T^–2
(b) M^–1 L^3 T^–2
(c) M L^–1 T^–2
(d) M L^2 T^–2
There is no atmosphere on the moon because
(a) It is closer at the earth
(b) It revolves round the earth
(c) It gets light from the sun
(d) the value of escape velocity on the surface of the moon is small
• Gravitational force is maximum at which of the following place?
(a) At equator
(b) At tropic of cancer
(c) At tropic of Capricorn
(d) At poles
• The period of geostationary artificial satellite is
(a) 24 hours
(b) 6 hours
(c) 12 hours
(d) 48 hours
• When the planet comes nearer the sun moves
(a) Fast
(b) Slow
(c) Constant at every point
(d) None of the above
• Who among the following first gave the experimental velocity of g ?
(a) Cavendish
(b) Copernicus
(c) Brook Taylor
(d) none of these
Question Answer
1 C
2 B
3 D
4 D
5 A
6 A
7 A
