Gravitation

• Let two objects A and B of masses m1 and m2

lie at a distance d from each other.
• Let the force of attraction between two
objects be F.
• According to the universal law of gravitation,
the force between two objects is directly
proportional to the product of their masses.

• That is,
F ∝ M×m
• And the force between two objects is
inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between them,

• that is,

F∝ 1/d 2
• F ∝ M×m F ∝ 1 / d2

Combining Eqs.
F ∝ Mm /d2

F = GMm/d2
• where G is the constant of proportionality
and is called the universal gravitation
constant
 Expression for G

• F = GMm/d2
S.I unit of G
 Value of G

• 6.673 × 10–11 N m2 kg–2

 IMPORTANCE OF THE LAW
• The law explains:
(i) the force that binds us to the earth
(ii) the motion of the moon around the earth
(iii) the motion of planets around the Sun
(iv) the tides due to the moon and the Sun
Q: How does the force of gravitation between
two objects change when the distance
between them is reduced to half?
Q: What is the magnitude of the gravitational
force between the earth and a 1kg object on
its surface? (Mass of the earth is 6×1024 kg
and radius of the earth is 6.4×106 m
Q: What happens to the force between two
objects, if
a) The mass of one object is doubled?
b) The distance between the objects is doubled
and tripled?
c) The masses of both objects are doubled?
Q: The gravitational force between two objects
is F. If masses of both objects are halved
without changing distance between them,
then the gravitational force would become
• (a) F/4
• (b) F/2
• (c) F
• (d) 2F
Q: The gravitational force between two objects
is F. If masses of both objects are halved
without changing distance between them,
then the gravitational force would become
• (a) F/4
• (b) F/2
• (c) F
• (d) 2F
Q: A boy is whirling a stone tied with a string in
a horizontal circular path. If the string breaks,
the stone
• (a) will continue to move in the circular path
• (b) will move along a straight line towards the
center of the circular path
• (c) will move along a straight line tangential to
the circular path
• (d) will move along a straight line
perpendicular to the circular path away from
the boy
Q: A boy is whirling a stone tied with a string in
a horizontal circular path. If the string breaks,
the stone
• (a) will continue to move in the circular path
• (b) will move along a straight line towards the
center of the circular path
• (c) will move along a straight line tangential to
the circular path
• (d) will move along a straight line
perpendicular to the circular path away from
the boy
Q: Law of gravitation gives the gravitational
force between
• (a) the earth and a point mass only
• (b) the earth and Sun only
• (c) any two bodies having some mass
• (d) two charged bodies only
Q: The value of quantity G in the law of
gravitation
• (a) depends on the mass of earth only
• (b) depends on the radius of the earth only
• (c) depends on both mass and radius of the
earth
• (d) is independent of mass and radius of the
earth
Q: The value of quantity G in the law of
gravitation
• (a) depends on the mass of earth only
• (b) depends on the radius of the earth only
• (c) depends on both mass and radius of the
earth
• (d) is independent of mass and radius of the
earth
Q: Two particles are placed at some distance. If
the mass of each of the two particles is
doubled, keeping the distance between them
unchanged, the value of gravitational force
between them will be
• (a)1/4 times
• (b) 4 times
• (c) 1/2 times
• (d) unchanged
Q: Two particles are placed at some distance. If
the mass of each of the two particles is
doubled, keeping the distance between them
unchanged, the value of gravitational force
between them will be
• (a)1/4 times
• (b) 4 times
• (c) 1/2 times
• (d) unchanged
Q: The force of attraction between two unit
point masses separated by a unit distance
• is called
• (a) gravitational potential
• (b) acceleration due to gravity
• (c) gravitational field
• (d) universal gravitational constant
Q: The force of attraction between two unit
point masses separated by a unit distance
• is called
• (a) gravitational potential
• (b) acceleration due to gravity
• (c) gravitational field
• (d) universal gravitational constant
Q: What is the source of the centripetal force
that a planet requires revolving around the
Sun? On what factors does that force
depend?

Ans: Centripetal force is necessary to move an

object in a circular path. The gravitational pull
of the sun provides the centripetal force in
this condition. This force is determined by the
mass of the sun and the planet, as well as the
distance between them.
 Free fall

• state of a body that moves freely in any

manner in the presence of gravity only.

• The planets, for example, are in free fall in

the gravitational field of the Sun.
Accelaration due to gravity
Expression for g
Value of g
Difference between G and g
Numericals
Q: A car falls off a ledge and drops to the ground
in 0.5 s. Let g = 10 m s–2
(i) What is its speed on striking the ground?
(ii) What is its average speed during the 0.5 s?
(iii) How high is the ledge from the ground?
Q: An object is thrown vertically upwards and
rises to a height of 10 m. Calculate
(i) the velocity with which the object was
thrown upwards and
(ii) the time taken by the object to reach the
highest point.
• A ball is thrown vertically upwards with a
velocity of 49 m/s. Calculate (i) the maximum
height to which it rises, (ii) the total time it
takes to return to the surface of the earth
Q: A stone is released from the top of a tower
of height 19.6 m. Calculate its final velocity
just before touching the ground.
Q: A stone is thrown vertically upward with an
initial velocity of 40 m/s. Taking g = 10 m/s2,
find the maximum height reached by the
stone. What is the net displacement and the
total distance covered by the stone?
Q: Calculate the force of gravitation between
the earth and the Sun, given that the mass of
the earth = 6 × 1024 kg and of the Sun = 2 ×
1030 kg. The average distance between the
two is 1.5 × 1011 m.
Q: A stone is allowed to fall from the top of a
tower 100 m high and at the same time
another stone is projected vertically upwards
from the ground with a velocity of 25 m/s.
Calculate when and where the two stones
will meet.
Q: A ball thrown up vertically returns to the
thrower after 6 s. Find
(a) the velocity with which it was thrown up,
(b) the maximum height it reaches
(c) its position after 4 s.
Q: Two objects of different masses falling freely
near the surface of moon would
(a) have same velocities at any instant
(b) have different accelerations
(c) experience forces of the same magnitude
(d) undergo a change in their inertia
Q: Two objects of different masses falling freely
near the surface of moon would
(a) have same velocities at any instant
(b) have different accelerations
(c) experience forces of the same magnitude
(d) undergo a change in their inertia
Q: The value of acceleration due to gravity
(a) is same on equator and poles
(b) is least on poles
(c) is least on the equator
(d) increases from pole to equator
Q: The value of acceleration due to gravity
(a) is same on equator and poles
(b) is least on poles
(c) is least on the equator
(d) increases from pole to equator
Q: The atmosphere is held to the earth by
(a) gravity
(b) wind
(c) clouds
(d) earth’s magnetic field
Q: The atmosphere is held to the earth by
(a) gravity
(b) wind
(c) clouds
(d) earth’s magnetic field
Q: The earth is acted upon by gravitation of the Sun,
even though it does not fall into the Sun. Why?
• Ans: The centripetal force necessary to keep the
earth in orbit is supplied by the sun's gravitational
force. The centrifugal force caused by the earth's
rotation counteracts this. As a consequence, these
pressures balance each other on a second-by-
second basis, letting the earth remain in its orbit
without colliding with the sun or drifting obliquely
away from its circle.
Mass
Weight
• 6 X gmoon = gearth

• 6 X Wmoon =Wearth
 g at the centre of the earth
• Zero
Ordinary balance
Spring balance
Q: Two objects of different masses falling freely
near the surface of moon would
(a) have same velocities at any instant
(b) have different accelerations
(c) experience forces of the same magnitude
(d) undergo a change in their inertia
Q: Two objects of different masses falling freely
near the surface of moon would
(a) have same velocities at any instant
(b) have different accelerations
(c) experience forces of the same magnitude
(d) undergo a change in their inertia
Q: The weight of an object at the center of the
earth of radius R is
(a) zero
(b) infinite
(c) R times the weight at the surface of the
earth
(d) 1/R2 times the weight at surface of the earth
Q: The weight of an object at the center of the
earth of radius R is
(a) zero
(b) infinite
(c) R times the weight at the surface of the
earth
(d) 1/R2 times the weight at surface of the earth
Q: An apple falls from a tree because of
gravitational attraction between the earth
and apple. If F1is the magnitude of force
exerted by the earth on the apple and F2is
the magnitude of force exerted by apple on
earth, then
(a) F1 is very much greater than F2
(b) F2 is very much greater than F1
(c) F1 is only a little greater than F2
(d) F1 and F2 are equal
Q: An apple falls from a tree because of
gravitational attraction between the earth
and apple. If F1is the magnitude of force
exerted by the earth on the apple and F2is
the magnitude of force exerted by apple on
earth, then
(a) F1 is very much greater than F2
(b) F2 is very much greater than F1
(c) F1 is only a little greater than F2
(d) F1 and F2 are equal
 Thrust

• Thrust is a force that acts on an object

perpendicular to a surface.

• It is a vector quantity

• SI unit is the newton (N).

Pressure
• Force applied per unit area is Pressure
• S.I unit is Pascal
• Pa
1 Pa
• Less the area, greater the Pressure

• More the area, less is the pressure

Applications
• A pressure cooker works on a simple
principle: Steam pressure. A sealed pot, with
a lot of steam inside, builds up high pressure,
which helps food cook faster.
• A pressure cooker is a sealed pot with a valve
that controls the steam pressure inside.
 Liquid Pressure

• Pressure by the liquid

on an object immersed
in it and on the walls of
the container
Q: A girl stands on a box having 60 cm length, 40
cm breadth and 20 cm width in three ways. In
which of the following cases, pressure exerted
by the brick will be
(a) maximum when length and breadth form the
base
(b) maximum when breadth and width form the
base
(c) maximum when width and length form the
base
(d) the same in all the above three cases
Q: A girl stands on a box having 60 cm length, 40
cm breadth and 20 cm width in three ways. In
which of the following cases, pressure exerted
by the brick will be
(a) maximum when length and breadth form the
base
(b) maximum when breadth and width form the
base
(c) maximum when width and length form the
base
(d) the same in all the above three cases
Q: An object weighs 10 N in air. When
immersed fully in water, it weighs only 8 N.
The weight of the liquid displaced by the
object will be
(a) 2 N (b) 8 N (c) 10 N (d) 12 N
Q: An object weighs 10 N in air. When
immersed fully in water, it weighs only 8 N.
The weight of the liquid displaced by the
object will be
(a) 2 N (b) 8 N (c) 10 N (d) 12 N
Archimedes’ principle
Armand video on Eureka story
• When a body is immersed fully or partially in
a fluid, it experiences an upward force that is
equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by
it.
Applications
• It is used in designing of ships and
submarines.
• It is used in lactometers to determine the
purity of milk
• It is used in hydrometers to determine
density of fluids. It is used in hydraulic lifts