By considering Newton's second law and his law of gravitation, derive an expression for gravitational field strength g in terms of its mass, m, the distance from its center of mass, r, and the gravitational constant, G.

Newton's second law of motion is F = ma and his law of gravitation is F= GMm/r^2.g is the acceleration of free fall and can be substituted for a, F = mg.We can therefore see that g = F/m and can use that to manipulate Newton's law of gravitation.g = GM/r^2

Answered by River M. Physics tutor

1639 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is the 'centre of gravity' of an object and how do I calculate it?


Why does current split between branches of a parallel circuit, but voltage remains the same for each branch?


Is the excitation and de-excitation of an electron from the ground state (of an atom) due to the collision of another particle (e.g. electron) an elastic collision or an inelastic collision.


How does the photoelectric effect actually show that light is made up of particles?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences