CHAPTER 2 : FORCES AND MOTION

2.8 :: UNDERSTANDING GRAVITY

History ab0ut gravity.

Newton was the 1st person

who studied the force of gravity. He got an inspiration when an apple fell from a tree, hitting his head. Hehheehhe Newton cute laaa

Hist0ry about gravity

Newtons opinion

The falling apple was acted on by a force of attraction, [the force of attraction due to gravity from the centre of earth]

 Objects fall because they

are pulled towards the Earth by the force of gravity. This force is known as the pull of gravity or the earths gravitational force. The earths gravitational force tends to pull everything towards its centre.

FREE FALL

Any object which falls only under the influence of the force of attraction due to gravity and without any influence of other forces is said to experience FREE FALL.

FREE FALL

An object is falling freely

when it is falling under the force of gravity only.

A piece of paper does not

fall freely because its fall is affected by air resistance.

FREE FALL
An object falls freely only in vacuum. The absence of air means there is no air

resistance to oppose the motion of the object.

In vacuum, both light and heavy objects fall

freely. They fall with the same acceleration that is the acceleration due to gravity, g.

FREE FALL

(a) With air resistance

(b) Without air resistance

(in vacuum)

Practically, free falling can only take place in vacuum.

1. Explain Acceleration due to gravity

All objects which experience free fall will fall with the

same acceleration, that is ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY. This constant acceleration is known as the gravitational acceleration, g. The standard value of the gravitational acceleration, g is 9.81 m s-2. The value of g is often taken to be 10 m s-2 for simplicity. The magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity depends on the strength of the gravitational field.

2. State what a gravitational field is

The gravitational field is the region around the earth

in which an object experiences a force towards the centre of the earth.

This force is the gravitational attraction between the

object and the earth.

3. Define gravitational field strength

The gravitational field strength is defined as the

gravitational force which acts on a mass of 1 kilogram.

Its unit is N kg-1.

4. Determine the value of acceleration due to gravity

Gravitational field strength, g = 10 N kg-1 Acceleration due to gravity, g = 10 m s-2 The approximate value of g can therefore be

written either as 10 m s-2 or as 10 N kg-1.

 Gravitational Field Strength vs. Gravitational Acceleration

When considering a body falling freely, the g is the

gravitational acceleration. g (= 9.8 m s-2)

When considering objects at rest, g is the Earths

gravitational field strength acting on it. g (=9.8 N kg-1)

5. Define weight (W) as the product of mass (m) and acceleration due to gravity (g) i.e. W = mg.
The weight of an object is defined as the

gravitational force acting on the object.

Weight = mass x gravitational acceleration W = mg

SI unit : Newton, N and it is a vector quantity

6. Solve problems involving acceleration due to gravity

Example 1

Can you estimate the gravitational force act to your

body? mass = 60 kg, g = 9.8 N kg-1, F = ?

 Example 1

Can you estimate the gravitational force act to your

body? mass = 60 kg, g = 9.8 N kg-1, F = ? F = mg = (60) (9.8) = 588.0 N

 Example 2

A satellite of mass 600 kg in orbit experiences a

gravitational force of 4800 N. Calculate the gravitational field strength.

 Example 2

A satellite of mass 600 kg in orbit experiences a

gravitational force of 4800 N. Calculate the gravitational field strength. Given : m = 600 kg. F = 4800 N, g = ? g = F = 4800 . = 8 N kg-1 m 600

 Example 3

A stone is released from rest and falls into a well.

After 1.2 s, it hits the bottom of the well. (a) What is the velocity of the stone when it hits the bottom? (b) Calculate the depth of the well.