7

Gravitation

Objective Questions
1. The resultant gravitational force on a spacecraft at the point P between two planets of mass
m and M is zero. The point P is at a distance x from the planet of mass m, and y from the
planet of mass M.
P

m
x

M
y

x
Which of the following is the ratio of
y?
m
A
M

m2
C 2
M

M
B
m

m
D
M

2. Which of the following fractions defines the gravitational field strength at a point?
Gravitational energy
A
Mass
Gravitational force
B
Mass
Gravitational potential
C
Mass
Gravitational acceleration
D
Mass
3. The gravitational potential difference between two points separated by a distance of 100 m
in a uniform gravitational field is 60 J kg1. What is the gravitational field strength between
the two points?
A 0.060 N kg1
C 1.67 N kg1
1
B 0.60 N kg
D 16.7 N kg1
4. The variation of the gravitational force F on a body with distance x from a planet is as shown
in the graph. The radius of the planet is R.
F

A
A
0

The shaded area A represents

A the gravitational potential energy of the body on the surface of the planet
B the kinetic energy of the body on the surface of the planet
C the gravitational field strength on the surface of the planet
D the gravitational potential on the surface of the planet
1

QB AA STPM Phys V1 C7 4th.indd 1

3/7/2008 4:59:51 PM

5. The kinetic energy of a satellite of the Earth is K, its gravitational potential energy is U, and
its total energy is E. Which of the following relationships between K, U and E is correct?
1K=U
A E =
2
1U
B E = K =
2
1U
C E = K =
2
1
D E = K = U
2

Structured Question
1. The gravitational potential on the surface of the Earth is 63 MJ kg1.
(a) Calculate the escape velocity from the surface of the Earth.
(b) The mass of the Earth is 81 times the mass of the Moon, and the radius of the Earth is
3.7 times the radius of the Moon. Determine the escape velocity from the surface of the
Moon.

Essay Question
1. (a) What is meant by (i) gravitational potential V and (ii) gravitational field strength E at
a point in a gravitational field?
What is the relationship between gravitational potential and gravitational field strength?
(b) A communication satellite is placed in an orbit of radius R. The mass of the Earth is
6.0 1024 kg.
Explain why the orbit of the satellite must be above the equator and the satellite must
orbit the Earth from west to east once a day.
Calculate
(i) the angular velocity of the satellite
(ii) the radius of the orbit
(iii) the gravitational field strength at the position of the satellite
(iv) the gravitational potential in the Earths field at the position of the satellite.

QB AA STPM Phys V1 C7 4th.indd 2

3/7/2008 4:59:53 PM