Calculate the force of gravitation between the earth and the Sun, given that the mass of the earth $=6\times10^{24}\ kg$ and of the Sun $=2\times10^{30}\ kg$. The average distance between the two is $1.5\times10^{11}\ m$.


Given:

The mass of the earth $=6\times10^{24}\ kg$ and of the Sun $=2\times10^{30}\ kg$. The average distance between the two is $1.5\times10^{11}\ m$.

To do:

To calculate the force of gravitation between the earth and the Sun.

Solution:

Before calculating the gravitational force between the earth and the sun let us know the formula of the force of gravitation between the two objects:


Formula for gravitational force:

Force of gravitation $F=G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}$

Here, $m_1$ and $m_2$ are the masses of the two objects and $r$ is the distance between the two objects.

$G$ is a gravitational constant and its value is $6.67\times10^{-11}\ m^3kg^{-1}s^{-2}$.

Let us calculate the force of gravitation between the sun and the earth:

Gravitational force between the sun and the earth:

As given, mass of the sun $m_1=2\times10^{30}\ kg$

Mass of the earth $m_2=6\times10^{24}\ kg$

Average distance between the sun and the earth $r=1.5\times10^8\ km=1.5\times10^{11}\ m$

Therefore, the force of gravitation $F=G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}$

$=6.67\times10^{-11}\times \frac{2\times 10^{30}\times 6\times 10^{24}}{(1.5\times 10^{11})^2}$

$=3.57\times10^{22}\ N$



Conclusion:

Therefore, the force of gravitation between the sun and the earth is $3.57\times10^{22}\ N$.

Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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