Calculate the gravitational force a 64.5 kg person would experience while standing on the surface of each of the following planets:

Question

a. Earth (mass~5.97e24 kg) (radius~6.37e6 m)

b. Mars (mass~6.34e23 kg) (radius~3.43e6 m)

c. Jupiter* (mass~1.90e27 kg) (radius~7.15e7 m)

Answer 1

You can calculate the force due to gravity by using Newton's universal law of gravitation:

where G is the gravitational constant which is 6.6743 x 10^-11 N•m²/kg², m₁ is the mass of the planet, m₂ is the mass of the person, and "r" is the radius of the planet.

For Earth, F = (6.6743 x 10^-11)(5.97 x 10²⁴)(64.5)/(6.37 x 10⁶)² = 633 N

For Mars, F = (6.6743 x 10^-11)(6.34 x 10²³)(64.5)/(3.43 x 10⁶)² = 232 N

For Jupiter, F = (6.6743 x 10^-11)(1.90 x 10²⁷)(64.5)/(7.15 x 10⁷)² = 1.60 x 10³ N