If the gravitational force experienced by a body of mass 'm' on the surface of Earth is 'X' N. If the mass of the body is tripled, what will be the value of the gravitational force experienced by the body?
- AOption (a)
X N
- BOption (b)
X/9 N
- COption (c)
X/3 N
- DOption (d)
3X N
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Correct answer
3X N
Why this answer is correct
The correct answer is 3X N.
Key Points
- According to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
- The formula for the gravitational force (F) is expressed as F = (G × M × m) / R2, where G is the Universal Gravitational Constant, M is the mass of the Earth, m is the mass of the object, and R is the radius of the Earth.
- From the formula, it is evident that the gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of the object (F ∝ m) when the mass of the Earth and the radius remain constant.
- In the given scenario, the initial force is X for a mass m. If the mass is tripled to 3m, the new force F' becomes (G × M × 3m) / R2, which is equivalent to 3 × [(G × M × m) / R2].
- Substituting the value of the initial force, we get F' = 3X. Therefore, tripling the mass results in tripling the gravitational force experienced by the body.
Additional Information
- Mass vs. Weight:
- Mass is an intrinsic property of matter and remains constant regardless of location, measured in kilograms (kg).
- Weight is the gravitational force acting on an object, calculated as W = m × g, where g is the acceleration due to gravity.
- Acceleration due to Gravity (g):
- The value of g on the surface of Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s2.
- Crucially, g is independent of the mass of the falling object; however, the total force (X) depends on the object's mass.
- Universal Gravitational Constant (G):
- Its value is approximately 6.674 × 10−11 N⋅m2/kg2 and remains the same throughout the universe.